Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Police Chief David Rausch today named Technical Services Unit Supervisor Julie Small the 2015 Civilian Employee of the Year for the Knoxville Police Department.  Ms. Small has been with KPD since January 2014.

As supervisor for the Technical Services Unit, Ms. Small consistently ensures that all duties, tasks, and assignments which fall within her unit are completed efficiently.  She leads her small staff to complete monumental tasks and requests from both inside and outside of the department.  

Chief Rausch said, “Julie’s work ethic is impressive and her level of dedication to the department is outstanding, but it’s her drive to go above and beyond to assist the entire department that sets her apart.”

Ms. Small has taken the time to become integrated with each division and unit of the department to better relate her unit’s function within the bigger scope of the organization.  When given the opportunity to attend a leadership course designed specifically for patrol supervisors, she opted not just to take a few applicable classes, but to attend the entire course so that she could better understand what the police supervisor’s job entailed.  This was in her words so that she could “be better able to serve the technical needs of the department.”  

Outside of the supervisory ability, Julie functions as a top tier technical expert.  She was involved in two major projects in 2015 including the implementation of new patrol tablets and the integration of a new computer aided dispatch system.  Her expertise was crucial to both projects as there were many technical glitches.  Through each issue Julie worked meticulously for many hours, and on occasion, on her own time in order to ensure the projects were implemented for the betterment of the department and its service to the community.  

In addition to Ms. Small’s outstanding work on technical projects, she was recognized and twice awarded the Civilian Employee of the Month honors in 2015.  In January, Julie was honored for her contribution and technical assistance in the visit of President Obama to Knoxville and in February for her video production expertise in developing an award winning anti-bullying public service campaign for Knox County Schools and the KPD Safety Education Unit.  

Chief Rausch said, “Julie is a valuable asset to the department as well as to the citizens of Knoxville.  We congratulate her on a job well done.”