MILLERSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The group providing liability insurance for Millersville says they will not renew coverage because of the “city’s pattern of actions.”
NewsChannel 5 Investigates has confirmed that Public Entity Partners will end their liability coverage for Millersville on July 1, which comes after a letter they sent on March 4 to Millersville Mayor Tommy Long warning that the city's coverage was in jeopardy.
Millersville commissioners told us as early as last week that they had not seen this letter and had no idea the city was in danger of losing its liability insurance.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates obtained a letter sent by Public Entity Partners explaining: “A review of claims activity and reported incidents on the above-referenced insurance policy reveals a pattern of actions that are outside the standards each member must adhere to for Public Entity Partners and our members to accept liability for those actions.”
Liability insurance helps municipalities cover the cost of lawsuits or any loss caused by the actions of city employees. Without this type of coverage, cities would be forced to pay for these losses on their own.
Public Entity Partners’ warning letter said at first they weren't sure if they wanted to renew following concerns over “loss trends.”
The group also said they implemented a mandatory Law Enforcement Liability deductible of $5,000 per occurrence, but now that may not be enough.
“We continue to have concerns over your Employment Practices Liability, Law Enforcement Liability, and Errors & Omissions Liability. If Public Entity Partners continues to provide liability coverage for Millersville, we will at a minimum increase the per occurrence deductibles in the areas of concern.”
NewsChannel 5 Investigates contacted Public Entity Partners to clarify if they made their decision on whether to cover liability insurance and they explained that they “had no choice but to cease Millersville liability coverage effective July 1 of this year. We will continue to provide Millersville with workers’ compensation and property coverages.”
Millersville’s policy was set to expire on July 1, but city leaders will now have to scramble to find a replacement policy for the city.
We’ve reached out to city attorney Bryant Kroll for a complete list of recent settlements involving Millersville but haven’t heard back.
Before Kroll became city attorney, he represented former Millersville police officers who filed a 28-page lawsuit accusing city leaders of racism and bullying.
Several city officials including former police chief Mark Palmer, former assistant police chief Dustin Carr and the City of Millersville were all named as co-defendants.
Palmer, Carr, former city manager Steve Collie and former mayor Tim Lassiter, all either retired or resigned from their positions not long after the lawsuit was filed.
Collie and Lassiter were adamant that one decision had nothing to do with the other or any litigation, but the timing for many was hard to ignore.
The plaintiffs later settled with the city for an undisclosed amount.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates knows of at least three other lawsuits drafted by Kroll and former Millersville police officers against the city.
Kroll has said he's currently not representing anyone in lawsuits against Millersville.
Last year, Millersville once again faced legal trouble after NewsChannel 5 Investigates learned that two of their top cops worked full-time hours without being certified by the state.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates then uncovered discrepancies in Alred's timecard where he appeared to be working more hours than he logged.
This led POST Commissioners, the entity overseeing law enforcement certification, to question if Millersville’s police department was operating illegally.
Former police chief Melvin Brown and former assistant police chief Glenn Alred resigned from their positions, meanwhile, city manager Scott Avery was fired a few months later.
Millersville commissioners later appointed Tina Tobin as the interim city manager, who went on to replace city attorney Jack Freedle with Kroll.
No legal action was taken because of the POST Commission findings.
The commission has since sent Millersville a letter acknowledging that the department is in good standing.
This is a developing story.
What has happened in Millersville?
Millersville — its government and police — has become a complex story I have been covering for more than four years.
This started in 2020 when Millersville officers accused the then-chief of evidence tampering. Then, two officers sued the city and the police chief in 2021.
As a result, the mayor stepped down and other city officials — including the police chief named in the lawsuit.
After the shakeup in the police department, I discovered that the next chief and assistant chief were working illegally as laid out by the Tennessee POST Commission. Investigators confirmed timesheet issues, which showed they were working less than were allowed. At the time, the chief and assistant chief were just part-time officers. They both resigned.
This is when the elements in this story happen in quick succession.
Just after I did a story about them swearing in another new police chief — who moved from Texas to take the job — the Millersville City Commission fired the city manager. That city manager they fired signed off on the timesheets created by the officers who working more time than they should.
An interim city manager was put in place. Her name is Tina Tobin.
Tobin — who I figured out didn't have a background in city government — went on to fire the new police chief from Texas, the chief of the fire department and the city attorney. In response to the firing of the fire chief, 17 fire personnel walked off the job leaving the city in limbo for emergency service calls.
While Tobin was serving as interim, candidates for the full time job started coming into the city. One name was familiar in Gabrielle Hanson. She's the woman who ran for City of Franklin, where my colleague Phil Williams tracked her through the mayoral election. Hanson, who lost her bid for Franklin mayor last year after a series of controversies that included her ties to white supremacists, said her interest in the city manager position began after a recent trip to help relocate an industrial real estate client to Millersville.
After learning the candidates for city manager, I looked at Tobin's current resume, which showed she had no experience running a city and didn’t even live in Millersville. That story was published on Friday. She resigned on a Sunday.
Now, the newest police chief is the interim city manager.
We know that many names are dropped relating to Millersville and its city government.
Because of that, we have compiled a list of who is who among those who have been involved.
Tim Lassiter: The former mayor of Millersville stepped down amid a lawsuit filed against the city in 2021 by two former police officers who claimed they were intimidated out of the job.
Dustin Carr: The former police chief of Millersville resigned in late 2022 after the lawsuit continued to move in the courts. The lawsuit was moving through the courts when he resigned.
Glenn Alred: The former Millersville assistant police chief who resigned in 2023. He was under scrutiny by the Tennessee POST Commission launched an investigation into claims that he was working full-time without being a certified cop.
Melvin Brown: The former police resigned after the Tennessee POST Commission said the department was running "illegally."
Scott Avery: The former city manager who was fired in late 2023 after only having been there around a year. There were was little explanation by Millersville City Commissioners, who have the hiring and firing power for the position.
Jack Freedle: The former city attorney who was fired less than 24 hours after Avery in 2023.
Tina Tobin: The interim city manager who came after Scott Avery. She went on to fire several people in her rank even though her job is currently only temporary. Residents have since questioned her leadership.
Rob Richman: The former police chief who was hired in late 2023 but was shortly fired thereafter when the city manager's role changed hands. He was the fourth chief of Millersville since 2021.
Brandon Head: The longtime fire chief was fired by the interim city manager. He had been there since 2006. After his firing, 17 firefighters walked off the job.
