Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

What to expect:

Kingsport Police Department

· Mobile Command Post

· Armored Rescue Vehicle

· Patrol Cruisers

· Bomb Squad and Robot

· K-9 Unit with Dog Demonstrations

· SWAT Team with Gear Displays

· Drone Team with Flight Demonstrations

· Bicycle Patrol

· Recruiting for Police, Jail, and Dispatch

· And more…

Kingsport Fire Department

· Ladder Truck

· Technical Rescue Team

· Water and Rope Rescue

· Hose Line Drills

· Bicycle Medics

· Several Interactive Activities

· HAZ-MAT

· Sparky the Fire Dog

· Family Fire Safety Skills

· And more…

This event is open to the public and is a prime opportunity to meet and learn more about some of the hard working First Responders who protect and serve the City of Kingsport.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Anyone with a case set for today who has not been contacted by the end of the day is encouraged to contact Records at 423-229-9427 to obtain their rescheduled court date.

Again, this only applies to Kingsport City Court, not any other courts, and it only applies to cases set for May 23rd, not any other dates.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

All applications must be submitted online using the following link:

https://www.GovernmentJobs.com/Careers/Kingsport

As previously released:

The Kingsport Police Department has scheduled the next Police Applicant Testing Session for Tuesday, June 6, 2023 in anticipation of hiring several officers to fill any existing and upcoming vacancies. While K.P.D. now accepts applications year-round, in order to participate in this upcoming session, applications must be received by absolutely no later than Sunday, May 21, 2023. Any applications received after that date will be held until the next testing session.

Individuals who are interested in a rewarding career with a professional law enforcement agency are strongly encouraged to apply. All applicants must be a United States citizen and either already be at least 21 years of age or be turning 21 by no later than December 6, 2023. All applications must be submitted online using the following link:

https://www.GovernmentJobs.com/Careers/Kingsport

Following the May 21st deadline, all applicants will receive a confirmation email, as well as a letter by traditional mail, containing further instructions regarding the upcoming Police Applicant Testing procedures, as well as the exact date, time, and location that they are to report for testing.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE A WRITTEN EXAMINATION AS PART OF THIS TESTING PROCESS.

All applicants will begin the testing process with a physical agility evaluation. The physical agility evaluation will be administered on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. This session will be conducted at Domtar Park, located at 1414 Riverport Road in Kingsport.

The physical agility evaluation will consist of a timed one-mile run and a timed roughly one-quarter-mile obstacle course designed to measure fitness, strength, agility, endurance, and perseverance as related to the duties of a Police Officer. Individuals must have an application on file and sign a waiver of liability in order to be eligible to participate.

The applications of those candidates who successfully pass the physical agility evaluation will be reviewed for eligibility and suitability to move forward to the interview panel phase which will be conducted during the following week of June 12-16, 2023. General criteria to be considered for selection for an interview will be outlined in the confirmation email and letter each applicant will receive.

Those applicants with the highest combined scores on the physical agility evaluation and interview panel will then be interviewed by the Chief of Police to determine the final selections. Those ultimately selected will also be subject to a medical examination, psychological evaluation, and a thorough background investigation prior to actual hiring.

The current starting salary for Police Officer Trainee is $18.73 per hour or $38,962 annually. Applicants who are already certified law enforcement officers may be eligible for additional salary adjustments to compensate for prior experience if certain criteria are met. Academy training and all essential equipment including uniforms, firearms, body armor, and duty gear are provided by the department. K.P.D. also issues take-home police cruisers to officers meeting specific response-time requirements.

City of Kingsport employee benefits include direct payroll deposit; paid vacation, holiday, and sick leave; employee life insurance; optional supplemental and dependent life insurance; long-term disability; health insurance; optional dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; as well as education tuition and fitness membership reimbursements.

Effective January 1, 2023 the City of Kingsport returned to the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) for the retirement plan of all new employees. The current retirement plan is the TCRS Hybrid Plan consisting of both a Defined Benefit (Pension) and a Defined Contribution (401), plus an optional 457 fund.

For additional information regarding the application process, please call the City of Kingsport Human Resources Department at 423-229-9401. For additional information regarding a law enforcement career at the Kingsport Police Department, please call the K.P.D. Professional Standards Unit at 423-229-9433.

The City of Kingsport is an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulations.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

www.kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Please note that in the event of inclement weather, the service will be relocated indoors to the Auditorium of the Kingsport Center for Higher Education (300 West Market Street) directly across the street from the Law Enforcement Memorial and Eternal Flame.

As previously released:

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

This year, National Police Week will take place from May 14 through 20, 2023. Traditionally, the local Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Burgess-Mills Lodge #11 conducts a Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Kingsport Justice Center during National Police Week.

The service this year will be held on Monday, May 15, 2023 at 3:00 PM at the Kingsport Police Department Law Enforcement Memorial and Eternal Flame, located on the corner of West Market and Clay Streets in Downtown Kingsport. As always, the department extends an open invitation to anyone who would like to join us as we remember and honor our local fallen officers, as well as all fallen officers throughout the nation.

The program agenda will be as follows:

· Welcome and Master of Ceremonies, Bobby Russell (Sullivan County Circuit Court Clerk/Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office (retired))

· Invocation, Pastor Chad Roberts (Preaching Christ Church)

· Proclamation, Mayor Patrick W. Shull (City of Kingsport)

· Keynote Address, Henry Reyes (Chief of Police (retired) of the Huntsville, Alabama Police Department/current Kingsport resident)

· Roll Call of Fallen Officers, Chief of Police Dale Phipps (Kingsport Police Department)

· Benediction, Captain Justin Quillin (Kingsport Police Department Chaplain)

The local Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Burgess-Mills Lodge #11 is named in honor of two of the Kingsport Police Department’s Fallen Officers, Patrolman Ira H. Burgess and Patrolman John E. Mills, who were tragically shot and killed in the line of duty in 1950 and 1940 respectively. Information regarding these and all of K.P.D.’s Fallen Officers can be found in the following link:

https://www.KingsportTN.gov/Police-Department/Our-Fallen-Officers/

The following inscription is found on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“This Memorial is dedicated to all Law Enforcement Officers in the United States of America. Inscribed on these walls are the names of those men and women who died in the line of duty. It is not how these officers died that made them heroes. It is how they lived.”

Links to the National Police Week website, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website, and the Officer Down Memorial Page are provided below:

http://www.PoliceWeek.org

http://www.NLEOMF.com

https://www.ODMP.org

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

www.kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

This year, National Police Week will take place from May 14 through 20, 2023. Traditionally, the local Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Burgess-Mills Lodge #11 conducts a Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Kingsport Justice Center during National Police Week.

The service this year will be held on Monday, May 15, 2023 at 3:00 PM at the Kingsport Police Department Law Enforcement Memorial and Eternal Flame, located on the corner of West Market and Clay Streets in Downtown Kingsport. As always, the department extends an open invitation to anyone who would like to join us as we remember and honor our local fallen officers, as well as all fallen officers throughout the nation.

The program agenda will be as follows:

· Welcome and Master of Ceremonies, Bobby Russell (Sullivan County Circuit Court Clerk/Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office (retired))

· Invocation, Pastor Chad Roberts (Preaching Christ Church)

· Proclamation, Mayor Patrick W. Shull (City of Kingsport)

· Keynote Address, Henry Reyes (Chief of Police (retired) of the Huntsville, Alabama Police Department/current Kingsport resident)

· Roll Call of Fallen Officers, Chief of Police Dale Phipps (Kingsport Police Department)

· Benediction, Captain Justin Quillin (Kingsport Police Department Chaplain)

The local Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Burgess-Mills Lodge #11 is named in honor of two of the Kingsport Police Department’s Fallen Officers, Patrolman Ira H. Burgess and Patrolman John E. Mills, who were tragically shot and killed in the line of duty in 1950 and 1940 respectively. Information regarding these and all of K.P.D.’s Fallen Officers can be found in the following link:

https://www.KingsportTN.gov/Police-Department/Our-Fallen-Officers/

The following inscription is found on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“This Memorial is dedicated to all Law Enforcement Officers in the United States of America. Inscribed on these walls are the names of those men and women who died in the line of duty. It is not how these officers died that made them heroes. It is how they lived.”

Links to the National Police Week website, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website, and the Officer Down Memorial Page are provided below:

http://www.PoliceWeek.org

http://www.NLEOMF.com

https://www.ODMP.org

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Former President Ronald Reagan established this week on May 5, 1984. He recognized the need to create a week for correctional officers, to thank them for their service and celebrate their contribution to society.

President Reagan stated: “The professionalism, dedication, and courage exhibited by these officers throughout the performance of these demanding and often conflicting roles deserve our utmost respect. The important work of correctional officers often does not receive the recognition from the public it deserves. It is appropriate that we honor the many contributions and accomplishments of these men and women who are a vital component of the field of corrections.”

Housed within the Kingsport Justice Center, the Kingsport City Jail is a state certified level II, 72 hour, temporary holding facility, falling under the rules and regulation of the Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI). It is inspected annually by a State of Tennessee Detention Facilities Specialist to ensure that the facility and staff are meeting the requisite criteria.

K.P.D. Corrections Officers are responsible for booking, processing, and securing individuals who are arrested by Kingsport Police Officers until they are released or transferred to another facility. Kingsport’s Corrections Officers process over 2,000 arrestees each year.

“Correctional professionals are the backbone of public safety,” said William Wall, Tennessee Corrections Institute Executive Director. “The men and women of corrections are the hidden heroes who dedicate their lives to helping others in the face of danger outside of the public’s eye. It is our honor to recognize those who serve each community across the State of Tennessee and nationwide.”

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Individuals who are interested in a rewarding career with a professional law enforcement agency are strongly encouraged to apply. All applicants must be a United States citizen and either already be at least 21 years of age or be turning 21 by no later than December 6, 2023. All applications must be submitted online using the following link:

https://www.GovernmentJobs.com/Careers/Kingsport

Following the May 21st deadline, all applicants will receive a confirmation email, as well as a letter by traditional mail, containing further instructions regarding the upcoming Police Applicant Testing procedures, as well as the exact date, time, and location that they are to report for testing.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE A WRITTEN EXAMINATION AS PART OF THIS TESTING PROCESS.

All applicants will begin the testing process with a physical agility evaluation. The physical agility evaluation will be administered on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. This session will be conducted at Domtar Park, located at 1414 Riverport Road in Kingsport.

The physical agility evaluation will consist of a timed one-mile run and a timed roughly one-quarter-mile obstacle course designed to measure fitness, strength, agility, endurance, and perseverance as related to the duties of a Police Officer. Individuals must have an application on file and sign a waiver of liability in order to be eligible to participate.

The applications of those candidates who successfully pass the physical agility evaluation will be reviewed for eligibility and suitability to move forward to the interview panel phase which will be conducted during the following week of June 12-16, 2023. General criteria to be considered for selection for an interview will be outlined in the confirmation email and letter each applicant will receive.

Those applicants with the highest combined scores on the physical agility evaluation and interview panel will then be interviewed by the Chief of Police to determine the final selections. Those ultimately selected will also be subject to a medical examination, psychological evaluation, and a thorough background investigation prior to actual hiring.

The current starting salary for Police Officer Trainee is $18.73 per hour or $38,962 annually. Applicants who are already certified law enforcement officers may be eligible for additional salary adjustments to compensate for prior experience if certain criteria are met. Academy training and all essential equipment including uniforms, firearms, body armor, and duty gear are provided by the department. K.P.D. also issues take-home police cruisers to officers meeting specific response-time requirements.

City of Kingsport employee benefits include direct payroll deposit; paid vacation, holiday, and sick leave; employee life insurance; optional supplemental and dependent life insurance; long-term disability; health insurance; optional dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; as well as education tuition and fitness membership reimbursements.

Effective January 1, 2023 the City of Kingsport returned to the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) for the retirement plan of all new employees. The current retirement plan is the TCRS Hybrid Plan consisting of both a Defined Benefit (Pension) and a Defined Contribution (401), plus an optional 457 fund.

For additional information regarding the application process, please call the City of Kingsport Human Resources Department at 423-229-9401. For additional information regarding a law enforcement career at the Kingsport Police Department, please call the K.P.D. Professional Standards Unit at 423-229-9433.

The City of Kingsport is an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulations.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Kingsport’s cameras are tied to a vast array of cameras in over 2,000 cities in 42 states across the country. This network of cameras captures a total of over one billion vehicles every single month. Statistics show that the vast majority of crimes are committed in conjunction with a vehicle, and most stolen vehicles are associated with additional crimes. Flock Safety Cameras are designed and built to capture sight, sound, and situation, which gives law enforcement the objective evidence that is needed to investigate and solve crime.

“Flock Safety Cameras are another tool in our crime-fighting toolbox to assist us with deterring and solving crimes and apprehending criminals,” said K.P.D. Chief of Police Dale Phipps. “We are extremely proud to be the first law enforcement agency in the Northeast Tennessee region to offer this incredible service to the citizens whom we are sworn to protect and serve. Having this technology at our disposal will help make Kingsport an even safer place than it already is to live, work, and raise our families.”

When a known stolen vehicle, a vehicle associated with a wanted fugitive, or a vehicle associated with a missing person travels through the community, K.P.D. will be instantly notified with real-time alerts to their presence and location. The cameras capture visual evidence, such as vehicle make, model, and color, license plate or lack thereof, and unique vehicle features, as well as contextual evidence, such as location, date, time, frequency, and associated vehicles.

Flock Safety reports an average of 120 of these “hot tag” alerts per hour across their nationwide network of cameras. Other communities in the Flock Safety network have reported significant reductions in crime and significant increases in both clearance rates and recovery of stolen property. The Kingsport cameras are already installed and fully operational.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

During this campaign, the Sullivan County Children’s Advocacy Center presents Blue Ribbon Awards to individuals who go above and beyond in their efforts to protect children in our community. On April 20th, at the annual Blue Ribbon Benefit held at the Bristol Train Station, Kingsport Police Department Detective Abby Ford was presented with this award for her diligent hard work and dedication toward the investigation of crimes against children.

Origin of the National Blue Ribbon Campaign: Bonnie Finley, a grandmother, made a personal commitment to stop child abuse when she tied a royal blue ribbon on the antenna of her car after her own 4-year-old grandson was killed at the hands of his mother’s abusive boyfriend. Little did she know the impact that this simple gesture would have on people and communities across the United States. Out of her tragedy and heartache emerged an outcry and thus began a National Blue Ribbon Campaign.

For more information about the Sullivan County Children’s Advocacy Center, please visit: https://cacsctn.org

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton