NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An independent investigation has found no evidence to support many of the explosive allegations made by a former Metro Nashville Police Department lieutenant, who claimed the department operated under a "good ole boy system" with rank bias and favoritism.
The Butler Snow Law Firm was asked by the Mayor of Nashville to conduct the investigation into claims made by former MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson, who detailed his allegations in a 61-page report in June 2024. Davidson alleged that higher-ranking officers received more favorable treatment than lower-ranking officers accused of similar misconduct.
"It's, in my opinion, a slap in the face of Nashville," Davidson said in June 2024 interview with NewsChannel 5. "Basically a good ole boy system with rank bias and people protecting each other."
However, the Butler Snow investigation, first uncovered by our news partners at the Nashville Banner, found "there is no evidence" that Metro disciplined higher-ranking officers "more favorably than lower-ranking officers accused of similar misconduct."
Davidson also claimed MNPD leaders secretly worked to pass legislation at the state Capitol to end the Community Oversight Board that held Metro Police accountable. The investigation found no evidence to support this claim either.
The report did validate one of Davidson's concerns: Metro has a flawed evaluation system for police officers. Butler Snow found that some under-performing officers are not being evaluated accurately.
Davidson had claimed there was "quiet retaliation where career opportunities are taken from you or not given."
Davidson has not responded to requests for comment about the investigation's findings. In fact, he has not replied to any messages from NewsChannel 5 since allegations were first raised that Davidson leaked writings and journals belonging to the Covenant School shooter to a conservative talk radio host.
It is important to note that Butler Snow included in the report, they could not corroborate or dispute claims made by Davidson that others in the Metro Police Department interfered with an investigation into the Covenant document leak, because the TBI raided their offices for any files related to that investigation and they were instructed not to ask any MNPD personnel about that investigation.
Suspicions against Davidson first arose in June 2024, just one day after his interview with NewsChannel 5, when Davidson appeared on the Michael Patrick Leahy Show. Instead of discussing MNPD allegations, they discussed having seen excerpts from the Covenant School shooter's journals - "probably a few dozen pages," he said. Leahy subsequently wrote extensive articles about the journals on his website, The Tennessee Star.
Davidson was later charged with more than 30 counts of official misconduct, burglary and theft - all felonies - related to the leak. The former lieutenant is scheduled to appear in court in February 2026.
Both the Metro Legal Department and Metro Police Department said they appreciate the thoroughness and professionalism of the Butler Snow team that worked on the investigative report.
A timeline of this saga:
March 2023: The tragic Covenant School shooting takes place.
November 2023: Metro's Office of Professional Accountability, MNPD's Internal Affairs division, launches an investigation into a few pages of the shooter's writing being leaked to a conservative podcaster. The investigation was under Arevalo's supervision. As a part of that investigation, OPA requested all of the shooter's writings.
December 2023: Lieutenant Garet Davidson resigns from MNPD.
May 2024: Davidson releases his 61-page written complaint, making various misconduct allegations against Metro Police. Butler Snow Law Firm is retained by the city of Nashville to conduct an independent investigation.
June 3, 2024: Davidson grants NewsChannel 5 an interview to highlight a few of his claims.
June 4, 2024: Davidson appears on the Michael Patrick Leahy Show. But they talked more about the Covenant shooting investigation than Davidson's misconduct claims.
June 5, 2024: The Tennessee Star, a conservative news outlet owned by Leahy, published approximately 30 articles discussing the Covenant investigation, images and recordings according to various sources close to the investigation. Leahy makes it clear on his show that his outlet has not directly published pages from the Covenant shooter, but those pages have informed their reporting.
June 14, 2024: MNPD Lt. Alfredo Arevalo files his declaration through the court system, alleging Garet Davidson may have been the Covenant documents leaker.
November 2024: The TBI raids the home of Garet Davidson.
May 2025: Garet Davidson is charged with multiple counts of official misconduct, burglary and theft.
December 2025: Butler Snow concludes their investigation of Davidson's claims of MNPD's misconduct.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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