Chattanooga Police Department / Chattanooga Master Police Officer Ricky BallardA Chattanooga police officer who was the subject of an internal investigation resigned Tuesday, the department said.
Ricky Ballard, a master police officer, was previously suspended without pay for a month in 2019 after a prior investigation found evidence he had sexually harassed multiple female cadets training in the police academy.
Ballard was placed on paid leave after the most recent investigation was opened in April, according to the Police Department. The investigation has not yet been closed, Assistant Chief Jerri Sutton said in a text Wednesday.
His resignation is effective immediately, Sutton said.
In 2018, several complaints of Ballard harassing cadets while working as a trainer in the police academy prompted an investigation.
(READ MORE: Another Chattanooga police officer suspended without pay after internal investigation)
The investigation found he had harassed multiple cadets in four different classes of the academy. Cadets reported Ballard making sometimes sexual comments about their bodies, flirting during training and treating female cadets “easier” than male ones.
In addition to the unpaid suspension, Ballard was required to complete a one-hour training on “gender-related harassment/discrimination,” according to personnel records.
Employment records show Ballard first joined the department in 1996, then resigned in 2008. Following his resignation, a resume shows, Ballard worked in private security and as a personal trainer before becoming a police officer in Red Bank.
In 2013, he was rehired in Chattanooga, personnel records show. He was making $71,461 a year at the time of his resignation, according to city records.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.