Administration forced to concede Shirley not punished before

The trooper at the center of Bredesen's Watergate, Lt. Ronnie Shirley, was not punished for his previous wrongdoings. That's the latest admission from the Bredesen administration:

Shirley is the politically connected officer who fixed a speeding ticket in 2004 for Bredesen's top aide at the time, Deputy Gov. Dave Cooley. The officer escaped discipline when top patrol officials concocted a fake punishment to throw off the news media and the public, a deception later reported by The Tennessean.

So, how does the administration expect the public to believe the THP can handle this internally?