This story is way bigger than that, and it's been brewing for over a year now.
They basically got buy-in from a tiny police department that then special officered a TON of people, who then turned around and went to work for this cat so he could charge law enforcement rates and direct traffic on public streets which, private security can't do - lot of money flagging around utilities to be made.
Would have been sort of ok, except some of them took their special deputation a little too seriously. That was what got them across the radar initially. Then a news outlet picked up the story and ripped them apart.
oh well.
State of TN is getting ready to start pruning part-time/reserve/aux police based on the increasing number of them getting called onto the POST carpet.