MEMPHIS, Tenn. — We could have a better idea of where the Memphis City Council stands on the mayor’s pick for police chief as they consider the matter Tuesday afternoon.
If Cerelyn “C.J” Davis gains the council’s approval, she would become the first woman to lead the Memphis Police Department.
By now, you probably know she’s worked in Atlanta and is the current police chief in Durham, North Carolina.
But what you may not know are the actual details of her service record. News Channel 3 investigator Jessica Gertler obtained some of those records shortly before the vote.
While she has some minor infractions for working extra hours in a second job, there’s one incident that stuck out. It led to her firing, and later reinstatement.
The Atlanta Police Depratment says it stemmed from a Wolf Camera employee uncovering some pictures of a man with underage girls. That man was the husband of an Atlanta police sergeant.
Federal authorities say the tip resulted in no investigation. The file details interviews with officers who originally handled the tip, claiming they were told to stop investigating.
It was seven years later when the feds say they found out and launched an investigation, leading to the seargent’s husband pleading guilty to child porn charges.
One document in Davis’ file shows she may have known early on. But Davis told us she was used as a scapegoat.
“As a lieutenant I was assigned to their unit. They had the same investigation, investigative file in their files and in boxes in their offices,” she said. “During my tenure, as the commander of their unit, that particular case was never brought to my attention.”
Davis fought her termination and it was later overturned.
As for the file, it ends suddenly with a line stating this “this investigation continues.” Atlanta Police told us the department is trying to figure out why that part of the file suddenly stops.
WREG also requested Davis’ files from the Durham Police Department but we have not received them yet.