Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Police Chief David Rausch named Cadet Vanessa Mayes the March Employee of the Month for the Knoxville Police Department. Cadet Mayes has been with the department since January 2012.
Chief Rausch said that on March 26, 2012, at approximately 12:25 p.m., Cadet Mayes was conducting parking enforcement in the downtown area when she witnessed a traffic accident at the intersection of Main Avenue and Walnut Street. One of the vehicles fled the scene immediately after the incident occurred. Cadet Mayes got onto her police bicycle and followed the vehicle through traffic to a parking lot where it stopped.
Chief Rausch said, "Cadet Mayes confronted the driver and immediately began collecting his information while officers responded to her location. At the conclusion of the investigation, the driver was cited for causing the crash."
"Because of her quick action as the events unfolded, her devotion to seeing a violator caught, and her compassion for a victim, Cadet Mayes was responsible for a hit & run traffic crash case being solved," Chief Rausch concluded.