Alcohol, gifts, gas: Comptroller questions Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police spending

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office is investigating the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police (TACP) for questionable spending and conflicts of interest.

The investigation focuses on credit card purchases totaling $63,023.74 and operations of the TACP between January 2017 and December 2021.

Some of the transactions weren’t related to TACP at all, weren’t documented properly, or weren’t approved, according to the TCO. The investigation also found some transactions even violated TACP’s purchasing policy, according to a release.

The TCO said the purchases in question include food and alcohol totaling $23,763.74, meals from fast food restaurants and upscale restaurants totaling $15,217.66, gift and gift card purchases totaling $14,411.24, gasoline for personal cars totaling $796.57, and other transactions totaling $9,734.53 that had no receipts or invoices.

Investigators also reported finding a potential conflict of interest with the former executive director. The TCO reports the former executive director simultaneously lobbied for another nonprofit that provides insurance coverage for cities across Tennessee.

The executive director who was in charge during the time frame of the investigation, resigned on March 18, 2022.

Investigators also found the former executive director had a potential conflict of interest by simultaneously working as a registered lobbyist for another nonprofit that provides insurance coverage to Tennessee municipalities, according to the state comptroller. The former executive director continued to work as a lobbyist for the outside organization after she was instructed by TACP’s executive board to stop, and in violation of her employment agreement, the comptroller’s office said.