Attorney General rules on Highway Patrol Trooper

If one of the qualifications for a job is U.S. citizenship, can someone who is not a citizen be allowed to fill that job? This was the question posed to the Tennessee State Attorney General when it was discovered that a Highway Patrol Trooper who had been employed since 1998 only had immigrant status.

Steve Sakarapanee, a native of Thailand who has lived in Tennessee since childhood, said he is in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. Following an anonymous telephone call Trooper Sakarapanee was asked to turn in his badge, service weapon and patrol car as an internal investigation was launched regarding his citizenship.

Attorney General Paul Summers considered the matter and handed down an opinion saying Sakarapanee's 1998 hiring was not illegal. Sakarapanee identifies himself as a lawful permanent resident. Officials said it was not clear whether the U.S. citizenship requirement on highway patrol job applications would be changed.