Former Officer Allegedly Spies On Police Youth Camp

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4NEWS
Posted: 2007-07-18

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The battle for control over Nashville's police officers has turned ugly as a former police lieutenant is charged with spying on a youth camp.

For 50 years, police said relationships between kids and cops have been built at the Fraternal Order of Police Youth Camp. But this week a very strained relationship allegedly led to broken laws at the camp.

Kristen Helm, of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said Calvin Hullett, a former police lieutenant and current Teamster official, hid small cameras in a cabin where FOP counselors sleep.

"We found some highly sophisticated video surveillance equipment," said Helm. She said Hullett hid cables behind walls and drilled holes in the floor so nobody would see the equipment.

A counselor eventually did spot the devices after they began thinking that someone was trying to get them in trouble.

Brock Parks, a FOP attorney, said that a tip came into police on Tuesday alleging that counselors were drunk and children were in danger. He said metro officers searched the campgrounds for alcohol and did not find any -- but the tips continued.

"They heard through e-mails, 'Go out and take a look,'" said Parks.

Helm said an informant eventually led the TBI to Hullett and investigators set up a sting. She said that on Saturday night investigators caught him trying to take off with the surveillance equipment.

Hullett said that investigators don't have the whole story.

"There is much more to this than what meets the eye. I was not at the camp stealing anything," said Hullett.

Parks said the act was a simple attempt at making the FOP look bad.

"This was done in an attempt to smear the name of the fraternal police," said Parks. He said that the drama is fallout from police trying to return to their old FOP organization after becoming unhappy with the Teamsters.

"It's a sad day for law enforcement that it's come to this," said Parks.

Hullett was released from the Wilson County Jail on $5,000 bond on burglary charges with more charges possible as TBI examines the over 80 hours of footage his cameras caught.

Metro police went to the Andrew Jackson Police Youth Camp in Mt. Juliet to see if the allegation was true. The Members of the Andrew Jackson Lodge 5 Fraternal Order of Police run the camp.

Members wondered who accused them of drinking around children.

"Evidently there was an allegation made that there was some alcohol usage in front of the kids up here," said Danny Hale, an officer volunteering at the camp.

That anonymous tip sent two police captains to the summer camp for local children.

"We have since come up here to make sure that there aren't any children in danger, which there's not," said one police captain. "There isn't any indication that anyone has been drinking, not even the smell of alcohol."

Metro Police searched the camp property and gave officers the option of taking a breathalyzer test. It was an offer some FOP members didn't exactly like.

"I am a police officer, but you know what, I got rights just like everybody else in the whole wide world, just like everybody else," Hale said.

The FOP president doesn't hide the fact that police might find alcohol on camp grounds or even empty beer cans.

"There was a Fourth of July celebration over there a week ago Wednesday. I bet there's a bunch and that's the only Dumpster on the hill," he said.

No one knows where the information about the alleged drinking came from.

"You know we have a pretty healthy thing going on between the decertification of the Teamsters. I am not saying that they did it, because I have no idea who did it, it was anonymous."

In a statement, Jimmy Neal of the Teamsters said, "It's an unfortunate incident whenever police officers are accused of wrongdoing. But, our strategy has always been to ignore the FOP and concentrate on representing Metro officers."

"The Teamsters didn't force Danny Hale to pour that beer down his throat when he was supposed to be watching kids at a youth camp."

None of the officers at the camp agreed to take the volunteer breathalyzer test.