Seven Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officers have been placed on administrative assignment following the release of photos of writings of the Covenant School shooter.
Public Affairs Director Don Aaron said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that the decision is not intended as punishment but will protect the "integrity" of the investigation into the manifesto's release.
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"Seven individuals are on administrative assignment (absolutely non-punitive) to protect the integrity of the active, progressing investigation," Aaron said. "All seven have full police power. We are not identifying any of the seven by name. Not fair to them."
Administrative assignment is "when an employee has been approved by the appointing authority to be absent from their normal assigned tour of duty and no other type status is appropriate," according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department manual. The chief of police must authorize the reinstatement of the officer placed on administrative leave, the manual states.
"Most often this status will be used when an officer has been involved in a use of force that is under investigation and the officer must be readily available to assist investigators," the manual states. "Being placed on this type [of] assignment requires the employee to stay in contact with the investigative unit and respond immediately to any investigative request."
This decision from the Metro Nashville Police Department comes after three pages of what appeared to be excerpts of the manifesto were leaked to Louder with Crowder, prompting outrage from officials. The police department, which has refused to release the manifesto to the public, confirmed that the photographs were "writings" related to the Covenant School shooting but did not specify whether they were from the manifesto. The police emphasized that they were not crime scene images, but police vehicles can be seen in the background of the photos.
"The police department has been in contact with a representative of Covenant families," the police said in a statement on Monday. "Police department counselors are available to assist them in coping with the emotional trauma caused by the dissemination."
The shooter was Audrey Hale, 28, who identified as a transgender man and opened fire at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, in March, killing three students and three adult staff members. Investigators released body camera footage showing police officers taking down Hale 14 minutes after the shooter entered the school.
The three pages, believed to be from the manifesto, showed Hale's plans to murder as many people as possible, and the pages were covered in hateful references and expressions of a desire to kill white people. The images included a detailed schedule of the massacre, which was referred to as "Death Day."
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Hale's parents transferred ownership of the manifesto to the Covenant School parents of students. The parents have stated that they do not want the manifesto released to the public, but several conservative politicians and gun rights groups are seeking the release of Hale's writings through legal means.
The six victims of the Covenant School shooting were students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9, and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, Head of School Katherine Koonce, 60, and custodian Mike Hill, 61.