Editor’s Note:  Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Deputy Matt Kirchner, featured below as this week’s “Our Town Hero,” was the officer injured in a serious head-on crash last night at 10 p.m. while responding to a report of a fight in the parking lot of Ingles in Halls.

He is listed in stable condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center after undergoing surgery. Kimberly Glenn, KCSO’s public information officer, said his injuries include: Tibia/fibula dislocation, left ankle fractured in three places, edema in the eye, multiple facial lacerations and bruised ribs.

Kirchner, 47, was the passenger in the KCSO vehicle driven by a probationary officer being trained by Kirchner. The trainee was not injured, Glenn said.

Glenn also reports that the other vehicle was driven by Cameron Lee Branson, 18, who has been charged with DUI (first offense), reckless driving, a seat belt violation, underage consumption, and two vehicular assaults by DUI. She did not have an update on his injuries.

“Our deputies put their lives on the line daily to keep our communities safe. We are grateful for the swift response from emergency services and will provide all necessary support to our injured deputy and their family during this time,” KCSO Sheriff Tom Spangler said.

***

Some call them “Pop and his son.” They’re for sure Brothers in Blue. Best friends, too. Pop is the field training officer who trained the “son.” And now, they share another label – “heroes.”

Deputy Dalton Swanger

This week’s “Our Town Hero” is Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Deputy Matt Kirchner, 47. He’s a major part of the story about the man he has much in common with – KCSO Deputy Dalton Swanger, 28. It was Swanger who was hit in the head with a heavy rock on a call that was aired on the show On Patrol Live the night of Saturday, June 22, in Powell. He and other deputies were investigating an incident on Stanley Road while searching for the suspect just after 10 p.m. in pitch-black dark. WBIR shared this coverage.

Kirchner was struck first by a rock while standing next to Swanger and suffered only minor injuries. A second or two later Swanger went down. A big rock, thrown by the alleged suspect from around 20 feet up a hill, hit Swanger in the middle of the top of his head. It left an incredibly nasty and grisly looking gash. Once at the University of Tennessee Medical Center doctors diagnosed his injuries – a depressed skull fracture; a cerebral contusion; disc protrusions in the cervical spine; and an intracranial contusion. He was placed in a medically controlled coma and did not go home until July 4.

Some say the life of law enforcement professionals is “minute to minute.”

How about “second to second?”

Deputy Matt Kirchner

Today we profile Kirchner, who helped drag an unconscious Swanger from the trees and bushes to the AMR Ambulance medical crew. As soon as that happened, Kirchner rejoined the search for the suspect, now jailed on a $2,025,000 bond. The suspect faces a slew of charges – attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault on a first responder, domestic assault, possession of a firearm with the intent to go armed and manufacturing/ delivering/ selling/ possession of a controlled substance.

When Kirchner’s “son” Swanger has recovered, we will profile this young man. And yes, he says he will return to work. “It has been my dream and passion since I was a kid to do this job. I’m blessed and proud to call myself a Knox County Sheriff’s deputy, and as long as God allows me to do this job, I will continue to do it with everything I have,” he said.

Kirchner and Swanger were the first KCSO deputies to arrive at the home on Stanley Road that June night. The 911 call reported shots fired during a domestic violence situation.

Kirchner is a native of Philadelphia, the son of a retired police officer who served for 12 years in Abingdon, Pennsylvania, and then for 20 years in Sewall’s Point, Florida, retiring as chief of police. After retirement, the parents moved to Telford, Tennessee, near Johnson City.

Kirchner is the youngest of five children with a pair of brothers and sisters. After growing up in Port St. Lucie, Florida, he eventually joined the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and worked there for 25 years before moving to Knoxville in 2023. His parents were in Tennessee, he loves the mountains and came to hate the Florida weather and hurricanes. Kirchner and wife Sylvia and daughters Mia, 24, and Adriana, 19, made the move and never looked back. Mia works for the Knox County Regional Forensic Center and Adriana begins classes in the fall at the University of Tennessee. Kirchner is one credit away from earning a degree in cyber security from Columbia Southern University.

With his father’s background in law enforcement, Kirchner literally means it when he says “I was born for this job. Dad being a chief for so long taught me a ton of things about this job. I’m interested in moving up the leadership ladder and I consider myself a natural leader.”

One major aspect of the job he loves is his 21 years as field training officer (FTO). “It’s very important for me to help the young guys coming in. I think it’s the most important job I have had, shaping them on what to do and how to do it, the little things and the big things. And when I’m working with my shift team, I want to protect them.”

On the call to the Powell home with Kirchner was his latest trainee, Taylor Gendreau, that night. “I had a trainee with me and it was a real-world introduction to what happens on calls,” he said. “My trainee helped me drag Swanger out of the trees and bushes and to safety and stayed with him while I went back to find the suspect. He will never forget what he learned.”

Law enforcement’s role has really changed today. You start off and want to conquer the world and solve all of the crimes. But you get hardened and you acquire wisdom about this work, Kirchner explained. “And working here is very different from Florida. People here appreciate us a lot more than in Florida.”

He’s sensitive to what he says is “the stigma given to law enforcement in social media” today amidst the changes in life and people’s views. “That’s a hard part of the job,” Kirchner says.”

And then there is the personal part of the job. “There’s always the fear of not coming home to my family. Law enforcement families don’t live normal lives. The schedules hurt family life. My family had to go through hurricanes without me in Florida because I was working. And I was out there wondering if they are OK and they’re worried about me.”

We asked Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler to share his thoughts about Kirchner. “Deputy Kirchner’s quick response helped to mitigate the situation and demonstrated unwavering commitment to protecting his fellow officers and the community. We consider it an honor to have him here at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.”

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.

Our Town Hero is sponsored by Aubrey’s Restaurants.

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