KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Police Advisory and Review Committee met Thursday evening to discuss several cases where Knoxville police officers may have violated policies and find ways that law enforcement could improve across the city.
While the committee reviewed allegations of racism in the department, Chief Eve Thomas said that COVID-19 was continuing to interfere with the police department's outreach efforts — especially in Knoxville's Black community.
"A lot of things that we do that are really good and that really help, we are not able to do in this environment," Thomas said. "That has hurt us because of all that we've had going on in these cases, missteps and issues we've dealt with."
For example, she said that although the police department may participate in neighborhood meetings and they may help their relationship with the community, young people often don't attend them. Reaching younger populations can be difficult for police, she said.
She also said new training programs were implemented for supervisors that could soon roll out to all officers. The training is a two-day course from the University of Tennessee's law enforcement innovation center. It focuses on harassment, and KPD will be one of the first agencies in the state to implement the course.
The committee also discussed 14 cases in total with Chief Eve Thomas and other city leaders.
The first involved an officer-involved shooting in July 2020. In this case, a person was barricaded in a bathroom after police received reports that they had broken into a home. They were threatening to harm themselves and officers, the committee said. After police tried to enter the room, police shot the person. They survived, according to the committee.
Thomas explained that there was a domestic history between the person who broke into the home and the other person. She also explained that arriving officers usually guide decisions about approaching suspects before supervisors arrive at the incident.
She also said police do not engage with cases unless there is a threat of harm.
Another case involved allegations that supervisors were hostile towards coworkers. Jered Croom, a committee member, said he was concerned about the culture of the police department and encouraged police to foster a culture of civility.
Thomas said that the officer involved in the case was well-known among the police department. She said the case involved a Class A violation where the officer could have been terminated, but they were reprimanded instead. She said the officer had "been around for a while," and the department considered several details in the case.
They also discussed a case where a former officer complained to a supervisor about a former officer's behaviors. The person said the officer was combative and made racist comments. The complainant also said the department's response was passive. The officer resigned before the investigation into the case was completed.
The final case focused on a social media account that an officer used under a pseudonym. The committee said that the account raised concerns with the FBI, and supervisors asked for posts to be reviewed to ensure they were compliant with the department's social media policies.
Committee members said that the posts were related to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and described them as satirical, angry and hostile. Thomas said the FBI later investigated the officer too, and she said the department was "still comfortable" with that person following that investigation.
Thomas said the person was a veteran with the department and had not expressed the posts in a professional capacity.
"We have things that we believe that are not in line with people’s rights sometimes," Thomas said. "But we know when we put on our uniforms, our job is to protect everyone’s rights, no matter what we believe."
The committee will meet again on Oct. 28.