Najwa Zandlo
Charged, not convicted. Najwa Zandlo faces a federal cyberstalking indictment and is presumed innocent.
Introduction
Najwa Zandlo is a former patrol officer with the Jackson Police Department in Tennessee who was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of cyberstalking and taken into custody by FBI agents on the morning of October 16, 2026 — roughly a year after a citizen complaint about her conduct triggered an internal investigation that ended her police career . The case moved from an administrative inquiry to a federal prosecution after Jackson police referred her file to the FBI, and the department is now moving to strip her law enforcement certification .
Background Information
Zandlo was employed as a patrol officer with the Jackson Police Department until October 2025, when a local citizen filed a formal complaint about her conduct while she was still on the force. JPD placed her on administrative leave and opened an internal investigation shortly after receiving the allegations . That internal investigation found Zandlo had used police technology and databases for purposes unrelated to law enforcement, according to WBBJ-TV’s account of the case file .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Rather than face a scheduled internal disciplinary hearing, Zandlo resigned in lieu of termination. Given the findings of the internal probe and the nature of the allegations, JPD referred the matter to the FBI, and the Jackson Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation jointly conducted the probe that followed. The case was presented to a federal grand jury after a joint review of the findings by the District Attorney General’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office, resulting in the federal cyberstalking charge .
The indictment itself, returned on the Tuesday before her arrest, alleges a course of conduct that meets the federal cyberstalking statute; neither the department nor prosecutors have publicly detailed the evidence beyond the database-misuse findings that started the case . The sequence — citizen complaint, internal findings, resignation, referral, federal indictment — traces a yearlong escalation from a personnel matter to a criminal prosecution .
Public Reaction and Consequences
Jackson Police Chief Thom Corley addressed the case directly: “The Jackson Police Department holds all officers to the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and accountability. Constitutional Policing is a foundational pillar at JPD, and the expectation that our officers adhere to it is non-negotiable” . The department also announced it will ask the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission to revoke Zandlo’s certification as a law enforcement officer .
Current Status
Zandlo was in federal custody following her October 16 arrest, and the single-count cyberstalking indictment is pending; the charge is an accusation, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. She had already left the department by resignation before the indictment issued, so the criminal case now proceeds alongside the certification-revocation request to the state POST Commission .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Zandlo’s policing career ended not at the disciplinary hearing she avoided but in a federal courthouse: the resignation that preserved her record became moot once the FBI referral produced an indictment, and the pending POST revocation would bar her from serving as an officer anywhere in Tennessee. The case is the most recent example in the region of police-database misuse being escalated to federal prosecutors rather than resolved internally .