He’s known simply as “Robbie T.” at work. A co-worker at the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) uses these words to describe Capt. Rob “Robbie T.” Taylor: “I don’t even know where to start with him. He’s been doing it for more than 30 years (34 years), and he still has as much passion for his job today as when he started. He’s just a great guy who is beloved here and a cop’s cop.”
And that’s music to Robbie T.’s ears.
Capt. Rob Taylor
The KPD’s very first “Cadet” program class of nine young men in 1992 included a 19-year-old graduate of West High School’s class of 1990, Rob Taylor. He’s been there ever since, going from cadet to the KPD Police Academy, graduating and joining the force in 1994. It ran in the family. His father, Dick Taylor, retired from the KPD in 2015 as a sergeant.
Taylor, 52, was promoted to captain in 2025 and is in his second year as the leader of the KPD Field Operations Support Division. That division includes more than 100 officers under his leadership who are part of the Support Division’s 11 different units.
Taylor speaks about the leaders of those units that he depends on 24/7/365: “These men and women are the finest we have to offer, and their contributions cannot be overstated. It’s a busy day here every day for all of us.” Here are the units and their commanders:
- Josh Shaffer – SWAT/SOS
- Jonathon Chadwell – Bomb Squad
- Nate Skellenger – Mobile Field Force
- Lance Earlywine – Search and Rescue
- Don Zerillo – Honor Guard
- Rachel Fowler – Crisis Negotiations
- Shawn Tucker – UAV
- Rick Eastridge – Marine Unit/Boat
- Mike Geddings, Sgt. Adam Winstead, Sgt. Carl Kennedy – CERT (Community Engagement Response Team)
- Steve Kaufman – Teleserve
- Kyle Loveday – KCDC Unit
Taylor has spent the entirety of his 34 years in Field Operations, also known as the “Patrol Division.” He was a longtime patrol officer and supervisor, and prior to his promotion to captain, he was the Field Operations East District executive officer, where he helped spearhead a significant two-year reduction in homicides, something very big on his accomplishment list as being a part of that operation. While on patrol, he was also a member of the SWAT Team for six years.
You perhaps think his becoming a KPD officer was a given since his father worked there. It was not a slam dunk. “I really wanted to be an officer in the military and maybe become a pilot, but I began seeing and hearing things that deepened my appreciation for law enforcement,” he says. “I realized that we could lie down and sleep knowing there was a police officer in my community, and I decided I wanted to be a part of what I still call today my personal calling.”
Then he explained something very revealing about this career issue. “I have to give my dad a lot of credit. He was an influence, of course, but he didn’t come home and talk about the job. He did a great job of insulating the family from his work and the negative aspects of the job. I never went on a ride-a-long with him and didn’t hang around at the police department.”
Remember those words from his co-worker about Taylor’s passion for this career and job? “Ever since I was a cadet, I’ve loved police work. You don’t make much money but can sure make things better for people and the community and our department. This is all about something bigger and better than yourself. You need to make an impact for the agency and the community,” he says,
And then quickly he added this: “To sum it up I want to be that person who fights for someone who can’t fight for themselves. That’s part of our responsibility and it’s gratifying. The public want us to be cops and do our jobs and do it right every day. I love coming to work and being part of what I feel is doing the Lord’s work and proud to be with KPD. We have a very supportive community and body politic and the leadership of the department we have is the best ever.”
KPD Chief Paul Noel joined the department in 2022 and is the sixth chief Taylor has served. Here’s the chief’s lineup:
- Paul Noel: 2022-present
- Eve Thomas: 2018-2022
- David Rausch: 2011-2018
- Sterling Owen: 2005-2011
- Phil Keith: 1995-2005
- Carl Foley: 1987-1995
“I have personally seen a significant change in the last three years of Chief Noel moving KPD into 21st Century policing. He’s a substantial leader, a very servant-oriented leader, and it shows in the department. That’s one reason I love it now more than when I started,” Taylor said. “The chief and his leadership team are engaged as our leaders, and all leaders at the department are getting better and better at building leadership foundations in our divisions, and that pays huge dividends down the road. The chief is progressive, engaged, and motivated, and that trickles down.”
Taylor cites four areas that he says “have blossomed” in the last three years. “Changing the culture about accountability, crime prevention and reduction, community policing and engaging with the public and career development, from the genesis of a career to their succession as they move up,” he explained.
Taylor and his parents – Dick and Freda – moved their family from Michigan to Knoxville in November 1981 when the World’s Fair was hiring, and his father joined the KPD in the same year. His mother is a retired registered nurse.
Family is major in the Taylor makeup. He and wife Paula, who is the executive director of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Employees Merit System, have been married for 30 years and have three children. Bryce is 29 and works for the town of Farragut’s Parks and Recreation Dept.; son Brayden is 22, a teacher at Berean Christian School and has been hired as the new baseball coach at Carter High School; and daughter Brenna is a junior at Tennessee Tech studying to be an elementary school teacher. The family’s church is Grace Baptist in Karns, where they live.
KPD’s Rod Taylor walking a beat in the Five Points community
Taylor also has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Bethel University.
Robbie T., who has spent the majority of his time at KPD in East Knoxville, shares these thoughts, facts and opinions: “We have communities that are filled with great people, citizens who have vested interests in where they live … and a very small percentage of people committing the crimes. It always gives me gratification when we can bring an element of peace and stability back to a community … like the East Knoxville community off Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Five years ago, we had 41 homicides there. In 2025, we had 14. That’s dramatic and it’s because of a strategic plan that we initiated. We didn’t target a whole community, but only those specific individuals who were driving the crime. It was very surgical in nature, and it worked.”
One final question: What one thing or incident will you not forget? His reply: “Rather than one defining incident, it’s the totality of my career experiences – including lessons learned and mistakes corrected – that has shaped my professionalism, accountability, and commitment to serving others.”
A cop’s cop, we hear.
Tom King has been the editor of newspapers in Texas and California, and also worked in Tennessee and Georgia. If you have someone you think we should consider featuring, please email Tom at the link with his name or text him at 865-659-3562.
Aubrey’s Restaurants sponsors our Town Hero.
