KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A recent investigation into Knoxville Police Department Chief Paul Noel, who was accused of receiving lower rent in exchange for an officer's promotion, was closed after the city found no violations, according to Knoxville officials.
An internal complaint was filed against Noel after the complainant, who was a former KPD officer, suggested that the chief obtained temporary housing at below market value in exchange for "favorable consideration" of a promotion for the officer that owned the rental property, Knoxville officials said.
The city of Knoxville's law director, Charles Swanson, hired Kramer Rayson LLP to investigate the complaint, according to Knoxville officials.
"All allegations of misconduct, no matter the person's rank, will be taken seriously and fully investigated," Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said. "I would like to thank the KPD officers who quickly identified the need for further investigation. I am also grateful that the outside investigator acted expeditiously and found no violations were committed."
Kincannon signed off on the investigator's report.
10News requested the report, which is available below.
On Thursday morning, Noel sent an email to the police department, which would also be his public statement, according to KPD spokesperson Scott Erland.
All,
I want to make you aware of a situation involving me that was recently resolved.
In March 2023, Internal Affairs received a complaint from a former Knoxville Police Department officer that questioned whether I paid fair market value, consistent with market norms, in a 2022 real estate transaction. The complaint contained allegations that were not supported by any facts or evidence. Despite the lack of factual support, in the interest of complete transparency, we took the complaint seriously and treated it like we would any other.
After the complaint was received by Internal Affairs, Deputy Chief Belk requested that Mayor Kincannon, through the City of Knoxville Law Department, conduct an independent investigation. That has since happened.
The city hired an outside licensed attorney, without ties to our department or the other involved parties, to conduct a thorough investigation. That included an independent review of personnel files, real estate transactions, and interviews of current and former employees and citizens.
That independent investigation has since been completed and I was exonerated of any violations of law and KPD or City of Knoxville policies and procedures. I am glad this investigation was completed expeditiously and is now behind us.
I want to be clear: I have spent my entire career safeguarding my reputation and holding myself to a high ethical and moral standard, in both my personal and professional life. I recognize that as the Chief of Police, and the KPD's first Chief from outside of Knoxville, I will be the subject of scrutiny from both inside and outside of the organization. But personal attacks of my moral and ethical character will not deter my resolve or commitment to doing what is best for this organization.
This also does not in any way diminish how excited I am to be a part of this organization, or how enthusiastic I am about the future of our organization. All of you are doing exemplary and admirable work on a daily basis.
Crime is trending in the right direction. Property crimes are down nearly 15 percent, robberies are down 35 percent and murders are down 33 percent compared to 2022. And my office has been flooded recently with public acknowledgements [sic] about the genuine acts of kindness that you all have took upon yourselves to do, for no motive other than to make a meaningful difference in the community. We also have the pending move to the new building to look forward to, which will be a great thing for our department.
As always, keep up the great work and thank you for everything each of you does for our city.