NASHVILLE – Monroe County candidate for sheriff Randy White did not meet the requirements for police officer certification, the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission voted unanimously Friday.
White won the nomination as Republican candidate for sheriff in the May primary and is on the ballot facing incumbent Sheriff Bill Bivens, a Democrat, in the August election. He didn’t respond to requests for comment Friday.
The commission also voted unanimously to refer White’s acceptance of a $600 training supplement and his failure to meet POST certification standards to the Monroe County Election Commission and to prosecutors.
The vote followed an investigation into White’s status as a POST-certified officer after questions, including inquiries by the Knoxville News Sentinel, were raised about his employment at the Vonore Police Department. In order to run for sheriff, White, who works full time as the director of county emergency medical services, needed three years of full-time police work within the past 10 years to keep his POST certification current.
White had already accrued two years of verified full-time service as a Monroe County deputy from 2004-2006. He claimed to have worked for Vonore from 2010-2014, including one year as full time during 2012.