Bosses defend former trooper Shirley's firing (He snooped in files of 182 people)

[BlueJessamine]

Source: The Tennessean

The most powerful leaders of the Tennessee Department of Safety on Tuesday defended their decision to fire former Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Ronnie Shirley for misusing the state's criminal justice portal.

Col. Mike Walker and Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell told an administrative law judge that Shirley should not be reinstated.

"The evidence was overwhelming that there was gross misconduct here," Mitchell said.

Shirley was fired last September for using the state's criminal justice portal inappropriately to search for information on 182 people, including singer Gretchen Wilson, a colleague at the THP and two journalists.



Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090603/NEWS03/906030407/Bosses+defend+former+trooper+Shirley+s+firing

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snip

Walker said the press scrutiny was so intense that it damaged Shirley's credibility with the public. Walker said that media attention given to Shirley and the department's belief he was dishonest in interviews made it impossible for Shirley to return to his position.


In Feb. 2009 the Davidson County District Attorney Torry Johnson chose not to prosecute Lt. Shirley who snooped on up to 182 Tennesseans, 70 percent of them women.


Lt. Ronnie Shirley was previously best known for fixing a ticket of former Deputy Governor Dave Cooley.

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Why isn't this getting any more attention?

I'm convinced this sort of thing is going on everywhere. Hurray for the Tenn. Dept of Safety for taking the high road.

[dotymed]

2. I KNOW THIS STUFF GOES ON ALL THE TIME

I have friends who are cops and I know tons of people who are
immune to traffic tickets and most misdemeanors. We definitely
have a police state. They "serve and protect" their
masters while sadistically abusing anyone they think they can.
Not all cops, but a large number of them. Especially when they
are in groups and get their "mob mentality" on. Our
present country is analogous to the USSR before it was
dissolved...A one party political system, Repression of the
non-elite population....whatever