Tennessee Highway Patrol officers have been using the police data base to do background checks on reporters who are investigating them for corruption.

One reporter Brad Schrade, who has reported on the Highway Patrol for The Tennessean newspaper, was contacted by a special agent who was investigating bent cops on the force. He was told that a Lt. Ronnie Shirley, who Schrade was investigating, had accessed background information on him.

Apparently the special agent was investigating how Tennessee Highway Patrol officers seemed to be using the police computer network an awful lot in investigations that did not seem to have a lot to do with crime.

Another reporter and a country and western music star where on the list that Shirley and his fellow THP officers were interested in.
It all came about because Shirley had previously fixed a ticket for Dave Cooley, Gov. Phil Bredesen's former deputy governor. Schrade reported the story and The Tennessean later reported that as a result of that earlier incident, the patrol created a sham punishment for Shirley. Which was when Shirley ran the background check. X

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