POST declines action after agency says recruit muted body camera to get phone number

Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told the Tennessee POST Commission that an internal investigation concluded Officer Allen intentionally muted his body-worn camera during a traffic stop and admitted doing so to obtain the woman’s phone number. “He had the body worn camera muted for 9 minutes and 27 seconds during that interaction, and he admitted to doing that intentionally to obtain the phone number,” Spicer said.

Spicer said the agency viewed the video and concluded the conduct created an appearance of coercion and was inconsistent with department standards. He said the termination decision followed an internal review and referral for certification action.

Officer Allen, through attorney Adam Izel, acknowledged the incident and described it as a mistake. Attorney Izel asked the commission to consider Allen’s prior service record and recent hiring by another department. “He admitted that he made a mistake and that it was a mistake he shouldn't have made,” Izel said, noting the officer’s previous good record.

Commissioners asked whether deleted text messages or screenshots were available; investigators said Allen reported he deleted the messages after a breakup and that no screenshots of photos were obtained by investigators.

After hearing the agency presentation, defense remarks and a chief’s character statement, a motion for no action was made and carried. The commission recorded a brief voice tally during the vote and announced the motion carried.