The chief of the Tennessee police department plagued by a sex scandal that involved several recently ousted officers has also been fired.
La Vergne Police Chief Burrel “Chip” Davis was initially placed on administrative leave Monday after a former officer, 26-year-old Maegan Hall, filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint with the state, WTVF reported. His termination was announced hours later.
Hall was recently fired for allegedly having sex and trading illicit photos with six officers while on duty and on city property. Another four officers were dismissed amid a probe into the sex scandal, while three others were briefly suspended.
In her complaint, Hall alleged Davis oversaw an environment that fostered misconduct.
A third-party investigator hired by the city ultimately “concluded Davis was aware of the sexual misconduct within his department and never reported or disciplined any of the officers involved,” a press release from the city reads.
“The conclusion also states that Davis impeded the initial investigation into sexual misconduct, ‘contrary to City policy and permitted – if not encouraged – conduct potentially contrary to state and federal law.’”
In the wake of the firing, La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole vowed to hold city leaders and officials to a higher standard in the future.
“We take the health, safety, and well-being of every employee at La Vergne extremely seriously, and a culture similar to the one uncovered in these investigations is not acceptable,” he said.
“We will continue to do what needs to be done in order to do what’s right for our officers, our city employees, and our community.”