Seven Knoxville Police Department officers have been selected for promotion, which includes the promotion of David Powell to Assistant Chief, Chief Paul Noel announced during a promotional ceremony held on March 8, 2024.




ASSISTANT CHIEF DAVID POWELL

 
Powell, who has been with the KPD since 1998, will step into the Assistant Chief role after serving as the Deputy Chief of the Management Services Bureau. In that role, he oversaw the department’s budget as well as the Personnel and Recruitment, Training and Tech Services Units, among other responsibilities.

Powell will serve as the KPD’s second-in-command, following in the footsteps of recently-retired Assistant Chief Mark Fortner.  

“Chief Powell has proven to be an invaluable member of our Command Staff,” said Chief Noel. “We have multiple ongoing projects and are pushing a lot of change. Chief Powell has led a lot of those efforts, and will continue to do so in his new position. I have no doubt he will thrive and help us accomplish our goal of becoming the premier law enforcement agency in the region.”




DEPUTY CHIEF BRIAN EVANS

 
Captain Brian Evans has been selected for promotion to Deputy Chief. A 26-year veteran of the KPD, Evans will assume his new role after serving as a commander within the Office of Professional Standards. Prior to that, Evans served as the commander of the West District.
 
Upon his promotion, Evans will oversee the Field Operations Bureau, while Deputy Chief Tony Willis will transition to the Investigations Bureau and Deputy Chief Susan Coker will move to the Management Services Bureau.
 
“Captain Evans is among the most thoughtful and hard-working members of our department, and is the ultimate team player,” said Noel. “His time as the West District commander will serve him well in his new role over the Field Operations Bureau.”

“Brian will be tasked will building upon the great work of Chief Willis, who will continue to lead our violence interruption and focused deterrence strategies while overseeing the Investigations Bureau,” Noel continued. “The violence prevention work that Chief Willis is leading will be among the most important things we do as an organization in 2024 and beyond.”




CAPTAIN CHRIS MCCARTER

 
Lieutenant Chris McCarter has been selected for promotion to Captain, becoming the newest member of Chief Noel’s executive leadership team. McCarter has been with the KPD since joining the department as a Cadet in 1995 and currently serves over Field Operations Support.
 
“Chris is thorough, detail-oriented and boast a wide range of experience,” said Noel. “He will be a valuable addition to our Command Staff.”  
 
Sergeants Shawn Shreve and Donald Zerillo were selected for promotion to Lieutenant, while Officers Stephen Henderson and Steve Taylor were selected for promotion to Sergeant. Collectively, those four have over 50 years of experience with the KPD.
 
“I am proud of each of these officers,” said Noel. “They have earned these opportunities, and I look forward to watching them excel in their new roles.
 
The promotions will take effect on Sunday, March 10, 2024.