POST approves two military‑discharge waivers for recent hires after commissioners question documentation

The Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission on May 16 approved military‑discharge waiver requests for two hires whose DD‑214s show non‑honorable administrative findings that otherwise would bar certification without a waiver.

Ferris Police Department representative identified the applicant for a military discharge waiver as Jerry Don McCurdy Jr., who was hired April 14, 2025. A Ferris representative described McCurdy’s 2008 military discharge as “general under honorable conditions” related to an unauthorized departure from his unit after returning from combat, and testified there was no court‑martial or other punitive history documented. McCurdy said he had been treated for injuries incurred in combat and explained the circumstances that led to his discharge. The commission approved the waiver after a motion; Commissioner Wright moved to approve the waiver on the record.

Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office requested a similar waiver for William Alexander Rodriguez, hired April 28, 2025. Sergeant Sean Vincent, appearing on behalf of Rutherford County, outlined Rodriguez’s service history: an initial general under honorable conditions discharge in February 2010 related to a failure to follow orders during airborne operations, reenlistment in the Tennessee National Guard, subsequent honorable discharge, combat deployment to Iraq, and later certification and hire as a law enforcement officer. Rutherford County reported it learned of the earlier discharge only while processing the officer’s paperwork after he had been on the job about four weeks. The county asked the commission to grant a waiver to allow him to continue his law enforcement career; a motion to approve the waiver was made and carried on the transcript.

Both waiver discussions included questions from commissioners about which DD‑214 forms were submitted to hiring agencies and whether the record submitted to the hiring agency included the active‑duty discharge. For Rodriguez, the county indicated the officer submitted both DD‑214s and that the hiring agency had documentation supporting subsequent honorable service.

The commission’s approvals allow the officers to continue in their current positions while the agencies complete any remaining documentation and monitoring required by the commission.

Provenance (transcript excerpts)
- topicintro: block_id="758.025" local_start=0 local_end=12 evidence_excerpt:"Good morning. I'm assistant g p in Reed with the Ferris Police Department." reason_code="topicintro"
- topfinish: block_id="1542.93" local_start=0 local_end=12 evidence_excerpt:"Thank you all very much. Have a great day." reason_code="topicfinish"