• Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share via Email


Mayor Kincannon Announces Paul Noel as City's Next Police Chief

Today, Mayor Indya Kincannon introduced Paul Noel as Knoxville’s next Chief of Police. Noel is a 25 year-plus police veteran and currently serves as Deputy Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department.

“This is the most important hire I will make for the people of Knoxville and I am confident we have the best fit for our city,” said Mayor Kincannon. “Paul is passionate about serving and believes transparency, accountability, and accessibility are key to being an effective leader.

“He is also a nationally recognized advocate for preventing mistakes and misconduct by police officers and I look forward to him bringing his experience and expertise to our city.”

View full news release



INTERVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE
 
Mayor Indya Kincannon convenes an interview advisory committee to assist with the KPD Police Chief search. Members of this committee are helping to interview candidates, alongside the Mayor, and are providing feedback to the Mayor.

Click here to learn more about the members of the committee.

APPLICATION DEADLINE CLOSED
 
All applications are currently being reviewed and sorted by the Police Executive Research Forum:

• There are 39 total applicants.
• Applicants come from 23 different states.
• 8 of those applicants are from Tennessee.
• There are some internal applicants.
• There is a diverse applicant pool regarding race and gender.

Click here to see application
(NOW CLOSED)

PUBLIC INPUT
 
With support from City staff, as well as outside facilitators, Mayor Kincannon continues to gather input concerning the search for Knoxville’s next police chief.

All input received will help inform Mayor Kincannon as she evaluates applicants to identify those who best meet the needs and priorities of Knoxville.  

Input gathered to-date (January 25, 2022) has been compiled into a summary found here.

This reflects input received to-date, and may be updated periodically to reflect additional themes or areas of perspective not previously captured. 
 
COMMUNITY LISTENING SESSIONS
 
JANUARY 7 CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Larry Cox Senior Center located at 3109 Ocoee Trail

3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the City County Building - Small Assembly Room located at 400 Main Street
JANUARY 10 LOCATION CHANGED TO YWCA
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center located at 124 S. Cruze Street.
  5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the City of Knoxville Public Works Service Center located at 3131 Morris Avenue
JANUARY 11 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the South Knoxville Community Center located at 522 Maryville Pike
 
ANTICIPATED SEARCH TIMELINE
(All dates subject to change)
 
JANUARY 11 Council review/approval of contract with PERF*
JANUARY 12 PERF begins preparing job description
END OF JANUARY Target date for public posting of job description (applications will be accepted for a minimum of 3 weeks)
LATE FEB-APRIL Mayor review & evaluation of candidates
EARLY MAY Target date for announcing the new Police Chief
 
* POLICE SEARCH PROCESS
 
The City of Knoxville proposed a contract with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to facilitate a national executive search for the new Police Chief. City Council authorized this contract at the January 11, 2022 City Council meeting.

PERF is a Washington, D.C.-based police research organization and membership association of police professionals. PERF has supported more than 100 police executive searches and provided cities with a highly qualified, diverse, national candidate pool from which to select a new top executive. More broadly, PERF does extensive work on critical issues facing the policing profession, including research, technical assistance, and training on use of force, building police-community trust, responding to individuals with a mental illness, violent crime reduction, police use of technology, the opioid epidemic and more.


KPD FACT SHEETS
Click below to see the individual poster boards that provide background information on KPD.
Overview [PDF]
Department Staffing [PDF]
Call Frequency [PDF]
Most Common Call [PDF]
Department Demographics [PDF]