With the forced resignation the Tennessee state Highway Patrol chief, The Tennessean asks: “Will anyone else’s head roll at the scandal-ridden police agency as it searches for a way to restore its credibility with the public?” The spotlight is now on Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips, who accepted Col. Lynn Pitts’ resignation yesterday. Gov. Phil Bredesen said that Phillips, a former county sheriff, whom he hand-picked in 2003 to head the department, may not be up to the job of leading it out of turmoil.
Said the governor: “I think there are going to be a number of changes in the Department of Safety over the days and weeks ahead.” Pitts, 60, said only that he was stepping down immediately for “personal reasons.”
Link: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051207/NEWS0201/512070415