About the Knox County Sheriff’s Office
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office was established in
1792. Currently, the Sheriff’s Officer has 475 sworn law enforcement personnel,
450 correctional officers and 75 civilian support personnel. The Patrol Division
includes the traffic unit, DUI Enforcement, K9 unit, aviation, mounted patrol and park patrol.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit was created
in 1996 through a program from the Department of Defense. The program, called The1033 Program, reutilized military equipment
that was still serviceable and was introduced to enhance the Nation’s efforts for counter-drug and marijuana eradication.
The free helicopters and equipment were put to use immediately, initially, for counter-drug operations only.
Detectives at the Knox County Sheriff's Office perform a
variety of tasks. The Major Crimes Unit is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of crimes against persons including
homicide, rape, robbery, and assault. General Assignment detectives investigate property crimes such as burglary and vandalism
and the Family Violence Unit focuses on helping victims of domestic violence. The Narcotics Unit is on the front lines in
the war on drugs and the Motor Vehicle Theft Unit responds to calls from victims of automobile thefts.
In early 1980, after it was learned that a Worlds Fair would
be held in Knoxville in 1982, then Sheriff Joe Jenkins authorized the formation of the departments first SWAT Team. In July
1980, eight officers were named to the SWAT Team. One of the members was former Sheriff, Tim Hutchison. In addition to being
one of the first team members, former sheriff Tim Hutchison was also one of the founders of the team.
Currently, the SWAT team now consists of approximately eighteen
members. Now, as in 1980, all SWAT Team Officers have primary duties such as patrol, detectives, training etc. The SWAT Team
is extra duty for all members. SWAT Team Members are on call unless they are out of town. Many times, the SWAT Officers respond
to call-outs and come to training on their days off or after working their regular shift. For Deputy Sheriff’s of the
Knox County Sheriff’s Department, there is no additional pay for being a SWAT Team Member.
The SWAT Team is responsible for dealing with any situation
that might require a tactical solution. These situations include barricaded suspects as well as situations were someone is
being held against their will. They also serve high-risk arrest warrants and search warrants.
Source:
knoxsheriff.org