Assistant Police Chief sues Blinn college for alleged retaliation

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - A Blinn police supervisor says she reported what she believed was a crime, and claims Blinn College punished her for it.

Assistant Police Chief Jennifer Taylor is suing Blinn College, its police department, its chancellor and its police chief, claiming retaliation after she reported the incident.

“We filed suit on behalf of a whistleblower against Blinn College District, their police department, their chancellor, and their police chief for retaliation against the whistleblower who simply reported a crime,” said Taylor’s attorney, Kim Ogg.

The lawsuit claims a civilian employee, Bryan Carlisle, acted as a police officer during a student arrest in August 2023, even though he wasn’t certified. Video from another department on scene allegedly shows him wearing a Blinn police badge while handcuffing a suspect.

Carlisle works as the college district’s director of safety and risk management.

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement confirms Carlisle surrendered his peace officer license in 2018. Montgomery County’s district attorney says that came as part of a plea deal for a Class C disorderly conduct charge.

TCOLE investigated the impersonation claim and penalized Blinn, but the agency says the college hasn’t paid the fine. The case has been sent to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

“Instead of the college admitting it, changing any practices, improving anything, they simply retaliated against her. They moved her out of her office,” Ogg said.

The lawsuit claims five and a half years of body-camera video was destroyed during that investigation.

Taylor says she was stripped of her title, cut off from police systems, and docked pay and sick leave.

As of Wednesday, online organizational charts on Blinn’s website still list her as assistant police chief.

Blinn tells KBTX it’s aware of the lawsuit and takes its legal obligations seriously, but says its comment will be limited now that the case is in litigation.

Police Chief John Chancellor, Bryan Carlisle and Chancellor Mary Hensley did not return requests for comment individually.

KBTX will continue following this lawsuit and update this story as more information becomes available.