Nashville Mayor John Cooper this week released a Policing Policy Commission report to review use-of-force policies within the Metro Nashville Police Department.
This, according to a press release that members of Cooper’s staff emailed this week.
The report said that the Metro Nashville Police Department staff members must better reflect the diversity of Nashville and more often document how they use force against citizens.
“In particular, MNPD must build trust with African Americans, Muslim Americans, immigrant-origin communities, and the LGBTQ+ communities,” according to the report.
Cooper asked commission members to produce a report on standards no later than October. That report, Cooper added, will influence who he and other city officials select to replace former Police Chief Steve Anderson.
Community Oversight Board Chair Ashlee Davis, in a press release last summer opined about the new commission, of which she is a member.
The Community Oversight Board has independent authority to investigate allegations of misconduct against the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
As for the new commission, Davis said she wants a transgender person to serve.
Davis, according to her LinkedIn page, is currently the senior diversity and inclusion manager for AllianceBernstein in Nashville. She also worked at the White House under former President Barack Obama.
As reported last summer, Anderson vacated his position at the police department sooner than he previously stated he would — without explaining. Left-wing activists and Metro Council members pushed for either Anderson to resign or for Cooper to fire him.
As reported, members of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee also called on Anderson to resign. In particular, ACLU members expressed frustration with Anderson’s alleged refusal to collaborate with the Community Oversight Board, which was established in 2018. This, after the deaths of Jocques Clemmons and Daniel Hambrick. The board has independent authority to investigate allegations of misconduct against the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.