The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Monday reportedly replaced the head of its internal affairs office in a decision that came months after retired Lieutenant Garet Davidson submitted a 61-page complaint naming the former official, prompting an investigation.
It was reported on Monday by Nashville Banner that Kathy Morante, the head of the MNPD Office of Professional Accountability since 2013, was replaced.
Though the reasons for Morante’s departure are unclear, spokesman Don Aaron told the outlet that Chief John Drake “believes this change in leadership will improve and strengthen OPA operations.”
Morante’s departure comes roughly one year after she was profiled by the Nashville Bar Association for its NBA Oral History series that spotlights members of “the local legal community as their careers draw to a close.”
Of her department, Morante (pictured above) stated in the interview, “it’s not called internal affairs, but that’s what everybody knows by it.”
In addition to investigating reports made against officers, Morante explained she oversaw “all of the legal training at the academy,” stating, “I love to teach… I do a lot.”
Davidson originally submitted his complaint to Mayor Nashville Freddie O’Connell, the Nashville Community Review Board (CRB) and the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) on May 22.
In his complaint, Davidson alleged Assistant Chief Bill Hagar and Deputy Chief Chris Gilder were “principally involved” in working with the Tennessee General Assembly to create SB 591/HB 764, which effectively abolished the Community Oversight Board (COB) in Nashville.
The COB, whose members are civilians, previously had the ability to investigate MNPD and recommend changes to department practices and policies, and Davidson claimed that Hagar was openly awarded by Morante for his role in seeing its end.
O’Connell ultimately ordered an investigation into Davidson’s claims on May 31, appointing the Butler Snow law firm as a neutral third party investigator.
“I believe it’s important—and I believe the public expects—that we establish impartiality when it comes to serious allegations about conduct within Metro,” stated O’Connell.
Shortly after submitting his complaint, Davidson surfaced new information about the MNPD investigation into Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who orchestrated the tragic March 27, 2023 attack at the Covenant School which claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three adults, during appearances on Nashville radio programs.
Davidson first told 99.7 WTN host Brian Wilson that MNPD searched the home and office of a “practitioner” who treated Hale.
The Tennessee Star later learned the identity of this practitioner, who treated Hale from the age of six until around 2020, when the killer was in her twenties.
The former MNPD lieutenant then told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show that Hale received mental health treatment from Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), and stated that no individual at the hospital reported Hale’s violent fantasies to law enforcement.
The Star later obtained about 80 pages from a journal recovered from Hale’s vehicle after her attack and a number of police documents related to the Covenant case.
Since obtaining the documents, The Star has published more than 100 articles that include the killer’s own words or offer new details about the Covenant investigation, including the revelation Hale was twice evaluated for commitment by professionals at VUMC prior to her deadly attack.
Earlier this month, both Star News Digital Media Inc. (SNDM), which owns and operates The Star, and editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy filed notice to appeal the decision by Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles, who ruled that not one page of Hale’s writings will be released and sided with the Covenant Children’s Trust.
The group, which consists of parents of Covenant students, claimed to own the copyright to Hale’s works after it was purportedly transferred by Hale’s parents, who remain involved in a probate case related to their daughter’s estate.
Both SNDM and Leahy remain plaintiffs in the ongoing federal lawsuit that seeks to compel the FBI to release Hale’s full written materials.
The Star previously published an FBI memo, sent to Drake in May 2023, which “strongly” advised against the release of “legacy tokens” from killers like Hale. An FBI definition suggests both the documents obtained by The Star and those sought in the lawsuits are considered unfit for public release.
While the FBI declined to confirm it sent the memo, the agency told The Star it sends such materials to local law enforcement.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Kathy Morante” by Nashville Bar Association and background Photo “Nashville City Hall” by Nicolas Henderson. CC BY 2.0.
