Left: Burrel Davis (Murfreesboro Police Department). Right: Davis during his time as La Vergne Police Chief (La Vergne Police Department).
A former police chief from Tennessee who was involved in a significant sexual misconduct scandal within his department was recently taken into custody and accused of kidnapping – just a month after facing charges of stalking.
Burrel “Chip” Davis, who was dismissed as La Vergne Police Chief in February 2023 following a scandal that rocked his department and led to the dismissal of five officers, was arrested on Jan. 29. According to an affidavit obtained by local ABC affiliate WKRN, Davis allegedly entered his estranged wife’s residence around 7 p.m. to confront her about a man she was seeing, while her daughters were also present. Murfreesboro Police stated in the affidavit that he purportedly confiscated the phones of every family member, preventing them from seeking help as the situation escalated.
While in the house, Davis allegedly found a gun inside his wife’s home and threatened to harm himself.
Although specific details of when law enforcement was contacted were not disclosed, Davis was taken into custody that evening and charged with four counts of felony especially aggravated kidnapping, felony aggravated assault, two counts of misdemeanor domestic assault, and four counts of misdemeanor interference with emergency calls. Murfreesboro Police indicated that he was being detained on a $145,000 bond and had a court appearance scheduled for March 5.
This was only the most recent brush with the law for the former police chief. On Dec. 24, 2024, Davis was arrested and charged with aggravated stalking and violating an order of protection after he entered an apartment complex. Details from that case did not indicate who Davis was accused of stalking. He was booked and released on $3,000 bond.
Davis, who served as La Vergne Police Chief for less than two years, was forced out of his position after an investigation revealed a sexual misconduct scandal that involved eight members of the department, including a sergeant and a detective. Five officers were fired and the other three were suspended. While he had vowed to address the conduct at the time, an investigation found that Davis “impeded the initial investigation into sexual misconduct” and “permitted — if not encouraged — conduct potentially contrary to state and federal law.”
In December 2024, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission voted to decertify Davis after text messages were found on his phone related to the 2023 sex scandal.
