Bryan Childress

Charged, not convicted. Bryan Childress was indicted on theft and official misconduct counts and is presumed innocent.

Introduction

Bryan Childress is a veteran Millington, Tennessee police lieutenant — a 20-plus-year officer who rose to command the department’s Criminal Investigation Division — who was indicted in August 2026 on theft and official misconduct charges after a Tennessee Comptroller’s Office investigation found he collected nearly $3,000 in unearned wages by “double-dipping”: claiming to be on duty for the police department while simultaneously working paid private security jobs . The City of Millington fired him after the indictment became public, and he was booked into the Shelby County Jail with bond set at $65,000 .

Background Information

Childress’s law enforcement career stretched back to April 2000, when Millington first hired him as a police officer. He resigned in 2007, worked for the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office — where he served on the K-9 unit before his employment was terminated for misconduct in 2012, per the Comptroller’s report — and was rehired by Millington in 2013 and again in 2016. He was promoted to sergeant in 2018 and became the department’s General Department Instructor, responsible for scheduling and overseeing all officer training, before being promoted to lieutenant over the Criminal Investigation Division in October 2022, supervising detectives and school resource officers .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The investigation began after a Millington city official reported questionable time-reporting practices involving Childress. Comptroller investigators compared his department timesheets from January 2023 through December 2025 with records from Protos Off Duty Services, a company that coordinates off-duty security work for law enforcement officers, and found he had reported working for both employers during the same hours on 59 different days — 66 overlapping hours in total .

Childress acknowledged working off-duty security jobs through ODS and six other companies, admitted he never obtained the required approval for his outside employment, and understood that ODS assignments were to be worked only while he was off duty from the police department. The Comptroller concluded he improperly received at least $2,206.88 in unearned wages plus $765.01 in unearned employer-paid benefits — $2,971.89 in total misappropriation — and issued a separate finding that the department’s police chief had failed to provide adequate supervisory oversight over timekeeping and secondary employment . “Public employees are expected to accurately report the hours they work and follow policies governing outside employment,” Comptroller Jason Mumpower said .

Public Reaction and Consequences

Childress was placed on paid administrative leave on December 1, 2025, pending the investigation, and was later suspended without pay for failures in his training duties. On August 4, 2026, the Shelby County Grand Jury indicted him on one count of theft of property over $2,500 and one count of official misconduct; he was booked into jail on the Thursday of that week . The City of Millington announced his termination effective immediately, moving him from unpaid suspension to firing, and said the Tennessee POST Commission — which oversees officer certifications — had been notified of his termination and arrest .

Current Status

Childress is awaiting trial on the two-count indictment; the charges are accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The city emphasized that the criminal proceedings are separate from its administrative process and that it will cooperate fully with law enforcement as the judicial process moves forward . Bond information showed him held on $65,000 bond with no hearing information initially available .

Impact on Their Career/Life

A two-decade career that survived one prior termination for misconduct ended with a second one, a criminal indictment, and a referral that threatens his state law enforcement certification. The case also forced reforms beyond Childress himself: Millington told the state it had implemented two additional independent levels of review for officer training and training records and strengthened oversight of timekeeping and outside employment .

Sources

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, “Millington Police Lieutenant Indicted After Double Dipping on Work Hours,” August 7, 2026 — source
Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, “Millington Police Department investigative report,” 2026 — source
Action News 5 / WMC, “Millington police officer arrested, fired after ‘double-dipping’ on work hours,” August 6, 2026 — source
NewsBreak, “Millington police officer fired after being arrested on theft, official misconduct charges,” August 2026 — source