Murfreesboro Police Department

Media Release
May 5, 2016
CONTACT: PIO Kyle Evans
PHONE: 615-904-6530
EMAIL: kevans@murfreesborotn.gov
Twitter: Kyle Evans @MboroPoliceDept

At the direction of Chief of Police Karl Durr, an internal After Action Review Committee was
formed to examine the arrests of several juveniles that occurred on April 15, 2016. The goal of
the committee was to determine if the actions of our officers were in compliance with policies and
procedures, identify any areas for improvement in the future, identify any policies, procedures or
training issues needing review, and determine if internal communication channels functioned
properly. The report has been finalized and made available for public inspection with portions
redacted consistent with the fact there is a pending juvenile court proceedings.
The after-action report arises from arrests undertaken as a result of ten petitions issued by the
Judicial Commissioner. The ages of the juveniles taken into custody during this investigation
range from 9-years old to 12-years old. No juveniles under 9 years of age were arrested or taken
into police custody as a result of this investigation.
The committee found that four juveniles taken into custody at Hobgood Elementary School, one
juvenile was handcuffed and transported to Juvenile Detention and one was initially handcuffed
but taken out of handcuffs prior to being placed into a police car. Two other juveniles were
transported from the school and were not placed in handcuffs at any point. One of those juveniles
was mistakenly transported to Juvenile Detention and was released immediately when it was
discovered that no petition existed for this juvenile.
Upon review of the After-Action Committee report, I remain committed to addressing all concerns
and policy issues identified, said Chief Durr. This report is not the end of this investigation. The
Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an internal affairs investigation regarding this
incident. Accountability is key to maintaining public trust and confidence, and just as we are
accountable to the community, our supervisors and officers are accountable to the policies of the
agency. Metro Nashville Police will assist in the internal investigation and also provide a peer
review once the investigation is complete.
Policies identified that may require revision include:
Handcuffing and Transporting Prisoners
Juvenile Operations
School Safety and Education Officers
A pastoral committee recently met to discuss suggested policy changes and input will continue to
be collected as to what the best practices should be in regards to the identified policies.
Additionally, sample policies from the International Association of Chiefs of Police will be
considered when drafting the proposed changes. Improved policies will be in place very quickly,
Durr continued. We have, and will continue to involve the community in the decisions regarding
policy development. We are committed to excellence and strive to be a model law enforcement
agency in Tennessee.