Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Police Chief David Rausch named Cold Case Investigator Jeff Day and Patrol Officer Jeff Green the 2012 Co-Officers of the Year for the Knoxville Police Department.

Investigator Day has been with the department since December 1998 while Officer Green has been with KPD since August 2008.

Chief Rausch said the number of driving under the influence (DUI) related fatalities more than doubled from 2010 to 2011. In a responsible and effective response to the increasing numbers, the importance of taking intoxicated motorists off our roadways was continuously stressed to officers.

Chief Rausch said, "Knowing the dangers of impaired drivers on our roadways, Officer Green made it a personal priority to focus on making our streets safer. In 2012, Officer Green made 439 total arrests of which 77 were for DUI. Officer Green also arrested 32 individuals for Felony offenses. This is all in addition to issuing 1,042 citations and responding to more than 1,300 Calls for Service."

"Officer Green has proven that he is dedicated to his job enforcing the law and saving lives," said Chief Rausch.

Investigator Jeff Day is assigned to KPD's Cold Case Squad of the Violent Crimes Unit. Investigator Day also works alongside the Knox County Sheriff's Office in a combined cold case unit while working closely with the Knox County District Attorney General's Office in order to present new evidence that could assist in solving unsolved homicides.

Chief Rausch said, "Since being assigned to the Cold Case Squad, Investigator Day has been able to close several cold cases and bring some closure to the victim's families." 2012 Cases Include:

On December 19, 1991, a 6 month-old baby girl was pronounced dead and the manner of death was undetermined at the time. Investigator Day reopened the case and asked the Knox County Medical Examiner, Dr. Miluschnic, to perform a new autopsy based on the original autopsy files. Based on the new autopsy, the child had actually died of a congenital brain defect, not from foul play. After sharing the new findings with the DA's office, the case was closed on March 13, 2012. Investigator Day was able to notify the victim's mother of the findings, which brought her closure to a very horrific time in her life.

On April 12, 2012, Investigator Day arrested Billy Ray Hill for the 1986 murder of his mother, Bobbie Hill. After his arrest, Billy Ray Hill tried to contract from jail a hit on two witnesses that had linked him to the murder of his mother. With the assistance of the Knox County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney General, evidence was obtained that led to a four-count indictment of Solicitation for First Degree Murder on Mr. Hill.

In May of 2012, Investigator Day reopened the1978 homicide of Floyd Lucas. Investigator Day was able to locate several individuals that the suspect had confessed to years after the murder. While seeking charges on the suspect, Investigator Day discovered the suspect had died in prison just a few months earlier. Jeff met with the victim's family, a widow and two sons, and presented the new findings. The family was pleased with the outcome and was finally able to get closure to the death of their loved one.

Investigator Day worked several months in 2012 on the homicide of George Anthony Barrett. Barrett was found beaten to death inside his home on July 12, 1994. After reviewing the case file and speaking to officers who worked on the case previously, Jeff was able to locate previous cellmates of the suspect, David Hopkins. The cellmates were able to provide physical evidence of written details of the murder and also the conversations that were between the suspect and his cellmate in which he confessed to the murder. Hopkins was indicted by a Grand Jury in February on a Felony Murder charge.

Chief Rausch said, "Investigator Day's attention to detail, persistence, and resolve to bring closure to the victim's families, has resulted in either the arrest or closure of several cold cases." Mayor Rogero said, "The efforts of Officer Green to remove intoxicated motorists from our streets and of Investigator Day bringing closure to so many families in these cold cases are truly outstanding. We commend these officers and congratulate them on their exceptional performance."

Click here to view a listing of previous KPD award winners.