Barchenger, Stacey

From: Carter, Dorinda (D.A.) <DorindaCarter@jis.nashville.org>

Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 4:24 PM
To: Barchenger, Stacey
Subject: Response

Subject: Email from Chief Anderson

Dear Mayor Barry,

I received the attached email from Chief Anderson yesterday. Since he is your employee, and because you and I met
prior to the press conference on May 11, I am responding with this email to you.

As the Chief Law Enforcement officer in Davidson County, I am concerned whenever people in the Nashville community
can perceive bias in the justice system.

As was stated in my report, and was announced by Deputy District Attorney Amy Hunter at the news conference, many
readers of the MNPD report may perceive bias in an investigation which:

1. Labels an officer involved shooting as justifiable homicide within five hours of the event and before
witnesses have been interviewed.

2. Frequently labels the officer who is being investigated in the incident as the victim.

3. Frequently labels the deceased as the suspect.

4. Often lists the crime being investigated as aggravated assault.

Deputy Hunters remarks began with the following:

The Office of the District Attorney General has the utmost respect for the officers of the MNPD. We are appreciative of
the difficult and excellent work they do every day.

We are especially thankful that they do their job which is often thankless and even more often, dangerous.

The points made in this report only address policies that can give an impression of bias and should not be viewed as
criticism of the individuals who wrote the reports because they followed their policy in writing them because that is what
they were taught.

What I proposed in the report was for an MNPD policy change to reflect current TBI practice. Those changes include
listing the officer as officer not victim, and the deceased or injured citizen as other not suspect. Also, I
suggested that MNPD reports should not reflect a legal conclusion such as justifiable homicide until all legal
proceedings are concluded. If the box on the report must be filled and no current verbiage is appropriate, then the
computer program should be amended to include proper terminology.

Chief Anderson has responded to our suggestions for improving MNPD policy on terminology with personal attacks on
the Deputy DA who presented that portion of our report. Her words were accurate and I stand by Amy Hunters
statements and everything included in the report.

1
I hope that future discussions can remain focused on best practices designed to assure a safe Nashville with enhanced
confidence in police investigations.

Glenn Funk
District Attorney General

Dorinda Carter
Director of Communications
Office of the District Attorney General
Nashville, Tennessee
615.862.5500 ext. 25556
www.da.nashville.gov
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