Local leaders have formed the Knoxville Police Foundation (KPF), which will reinforce a positive relationship between the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) and the community and create fundraising initiatives to assist with career development, training efforts and recruitment of officers.
Incorporated on January 8, 2025, the Knoxville Police Foundation has filed for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and partnered with the longstanding East Tennessee Foundation as a donor-advised fund.
The mission of KPF is to strengthen the relationship with the community and the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) and engage the community to provide enhancements for KPD with state-of-the-art technology for training, consultants, education, career development opportunities, and recruiting and retention. “We want to be the impetus to move this initiative forward,” said Mark Dukes, local business leader, and board chair for the new foundation.
Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel welcomed the formation of the foundation and its potential for positive impact for KPD and the community. “The Knoxville Police Foundation is going to help enhance our department in so many ways, particularly by expanding our recruitment efforts and the professional development opportunities available to our officers and professional staff,” Noel said. “Over the course of my career, I have seen firsthand how police foundations can lift up cities, police departments and individual officers. I am deeply appreciative of the members of our community who made the foundation a reality in Knoxville. This will be a game changer for our department.”
Additional KPF board members are Dino Cartwright, a longtime supporter of nonprofits with extensive experience in communications, advertising and promotion; Knox County Sessions Court Judge Chuck Cerny; Brian Dickens, chief human resources officer for the University of Tennessee System; Delphia L. Howze, chief inclusion officer for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Paul Metler, vice president of content development and transformation leader for InitiativeOne, a leadership institute; and Janet Testerman, CEO of Young-Williams Animal Center.
Mike Hatcher and Tim Hill are founding board members and will serve in an ex-officio capacity. Hatcher, a longtime developer, is a cofounder of Hatcher-Hill Properties LLC. Hill, who also is a co-founder of Hatcher-Hill Properties, serves on the Knoxville Knox County Sports Authority Board, which has overseen the planning, financing and construction of Knoxville’s new publicly owned stadium, now known as Covenant Health Park.
The Knoxville Police Foundation held its first fundraiser in January, and additional events will be scheduled. The foundation will operate in a non-advisory function. A website and social media sites are also in progress to outline KPF’s mission, engage with the community and provide opportunities for support.
Information for this article provided by Knoxville Police Foundation.