Four Knoxville Police Department (KPD) employees and one young volunteer were honored during Tuesday’s (May 12) Annual Employee Appreciation luncheon at the Public Safety Complex as part of celebrating National Police Week.

Here are the five honorees:

  • Rob Taylor is the recipient of the distinguished Mike Waggoner Leadership Award.
  • Detective Brian Foulks and Officer Westley Williams were honored as Officers of the Year.
  • Personnel Director Brooke Bright was presented with the Employee of the Year award.
  • Ty Corey is the Explorer of the Year.

These exemplary winners were nominated by colleagues and voted on by the KPD Awards and Commendations Committee, a nine-person body representing a cross-section of the department.

“Each of these employees are outstanding representatives of our department,” KPD Chief Paul Noel said. “Their commitment to our mission and dedication to serving our community are commendable. I am grateful for their efforts and proud of the work the men and women of our department do every single day.”

Taylor, a 32-year KPD veteran, received the award named in honor of Officer Mike Waggonner, who is in his 52nd year at KPD. This honor is presented annually to an officer with strong passion, dedication and thoroughness. He currently oversees the support division of the Field Operations Bureau, providing command supervision of the Community Engagement Response Team, the department’s special teams and the Teleserve Unit.

Taylor has spent his career in patrol, serving as executive officer for both the West and East Districts and a patrol officer. Two comments among the nominations speak to Taylor’s work: “He is deeply passionate about police work and doing this job the right way.” And this: “…Because of his leadership, those around him are better officers, better teammates, and better representatives of this department and this profession.”

Taylor was named as Our Town Hero on Feb. 6, 2026 and you can read his full story at this LINK

Foulks is a 20-year veteran and a detective in the Property Crimes Unit.

As an auto theft detective, he investigated 167 cases in 2025, achieving a nearly 50% clearance rate that is nearly triple the national average. He led numerous significant property crime investigations in 2025, including one that led to the identification of three individuals connected to stolen cars and crimes committed in multiple East Tennessee counties. He’s also a resource for colleagues in the Investigations Bureau, including in search warrant and subpoena drafting. He is also playing an active role in the department’s ongoing transition to its new records management system, serving as the Investigations Bureau’s RMS project liaison.

Williams started his career as a Cadet, was sworn in as an officer in 2020 and is assigned to the Community Engagement Response Team (CERT). In 2025, while assigned to CERT, Williams was directly involved in numerous important investigations and arrests of known violent offenders, including one in May 2025 that resulted in the seizure of over 100 grams of suspected fentanyl.

In addition to his CERT job, Williams also serves in two other critical roles — a crisis negotiator and driving instructor. In his nomination, it was said: “Officer Williams embodies the core values of service, accountability, and patrol-level leadership.”

This pretty much sums up Brooke Bright’s work as Personnel Director at KPD. “She demonstrates all the qualities we want in an employee through her professionalism, selflessness, team-first mentality and positive attitude.” She joined the department three years ago and is an essential part of the KPD’s recruitment and hiring processes. In 2025, the department set an ambitious goal of hiring over 100 police recruits across three different academies. The department shattered that goal, hiring 118 recruits to get the department back to budgeted strength for the first time in more than in a decade.

Young Ty Corey, 18, was recognized as the outstanding member of the volunteer Explorer Post program. He is a home-schooled graduate and was selected for his integrity, dedication and commitment to community service. One nomination described him like this: “His positive attitude, leadership among peers and dedication to personal growth make him a true role model and a deserving recipient of this honor.”

The Explorer Post program is open to individuals between the ages of 14-20.

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 him at the link with his name or text him at 865-659-3562.

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