Tennessee In The Midst Of UTPD Officer Gambling Scandal

In many states, law enforcement officials are being paid to break up any illegal gambling operations that may be taking place. In Tennessee, however, it appears that one officer was actually being paid to protect the players at one of these illegal operations.

University of Tennessee Police Department officer Robert Ed Cummings has been fired from his job after the FBI identified Cummings as an officer who was providing security for a high stakes poker game in the state. The players were coming from all over the US, and Cummings was making sure none of the players was robbed.

In a bizarre story, the FBI paints a picture of Cummings escorting vehicles carrying backpacks full of cash to different hotels in Tennessee. In each case, the gambler would provide a buy-in amount, and then the funds would be transported to the hotels in the state while the poker games took place.

Cummings denies any wrongdoing, and has already appealed to get his job back. This is not the first time that Cummings has come under scrutiny for his work as an officer. When he worked for the KCSO, Cummings was suspended for striking a [prisoner in the face.

Several other reported incidents are documented involving Cummings, including one that had to do with a threatened suicide call he made to 911. His first wife sought a restraining order against Cummings after he was charged with assault. Cummings also failed a psychological evaluation while with KCSO.

Cummings was paid $500 for each time that he monitored the poker games, but he insists that he did nothing more than show up and be a presence at the games. he also believed that the games were legal. Cummings had been with the UTPD since 1999, and has had mostly good evaluations since he has been working for the UTPD.

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