Khristian Chappel Kirkland is a sergeant detective at the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO). Big job. Important work. Never, ever a sedentary soul, his life is a fascinating collection of loves, passions and much more, including juggling multiple assignments.
And he’s only 27. Knowing what all this man has done and does today may wear you out. It’s a lot! Here we go ….
- Three-year U.S. Army veteran as an intelligence analyst with the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, helping make sense of things in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Almost eight years in law enforcement, the last four at LCSO, investigating cyber and crypto currency crimes, among other cases and jobs.
- Graduated in May 2025 from college with honors.
- A lifesaver.
- A husband and a new dad.
- Manages a gigantic collection of some 4,000-plus Major League Baseball cards.
- A lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan, he and his wife have plans to visit all 30 pro baseball stadiums. They have 26 left on their list.
- Works out five days a week.
- His relaxation interests include reading, woodworking and jujitsu.
Today, we honor him as Our Town Hero! And it’s richly deserved.
Khristian Kirkland
To say the absolute least, Kirkland is a busy fellow. At LCSO after leaving patrol he now manages a full caseload as a detective and also is a crisis negotiator, a field training officer (FTO), a firearms instructor and handles background investigations for all new job applicants for the corrections division and patrol. And not to mention loving his “work” for their new baby girl – Campbell – whom his wife, Samantha, had on June 30, 2026.
And about his bride of two years, Samantha, he says, “She’s been one of my greatest blessings. She has gotten me through some tough days and I owe her a lot. I go home and decompress and need to talk sometimes and she’s great and helps a lot. She’s seen a lot of tough things in her job.” Samantha is a nurse practitioner on the University of Tennessee Medical Center’s trauma nursing team, providing around-the-clock, specialized critical care.
Born in Oak Ridge but reared in Harriman, Kirkland earned an undergraduate degree in May 2025 in International Relations and Affairs from the University of Memphis (magna cum laude) with a minor in political science. He also has an associate degree in the same field from Roane State Community College. In 2017, he was an honors graduate from Harriman High School and an All-District football offensive guard and defensive end.
His Army stint ended in 2020, and he quickly joined the Harriman Police Dept., leaving after 18 months for the Roane County Sheriff’s Office. In January 2023 be joined the LCSO and began on patrol. A year later, he transferred to the criminal investigations division and was promoted to sergeant detective a year later.
“I love law enforcement because I get to see the best and worst of humanity on any given day. I get to work with some of the best individuals I’ve ever met and we get to face some of the toughest challenges each of us have ever faced and we get to do it together,” Kirkland said.
He has around 50 active cases on his desk, including cases of fraud (individuals and businesses), gift card scams, assaults, vandalism and burglaries. “And I have two or three cases I really want to get done.”
LCSO Sgt. Detective Khristian Kirkland with his sister, LCSO
Corrections Officer Katelynn Wright
His dedication to law enforcement runs in the family. His younger sister, Katelynn Wright, has worked in the LCSO jail for two years and in 2025 was honored as the Corrections Deputy of the Year.
And in June 2023 the LCSO honored Kirkland and his patrol supervisor, Sgt. Cole Rogers, with “Life Saving Awards” after they risked their lives to save another’s life. And all three could have perished that June 1, 2023, night off of I-75 south near the I-75/I-40 split. At the ceremony, Kirkland was honored for “rescuing a motorist from a burning vehicle after a severe motor vehicle crash. For his actions of unquestionable bravery and courage he is awarded the Life Saving Award.”
“I was backing up my supervisor during a traffic stop and we got a call about a vehicle on fire and we both left and headed that way. I got there a minute or two before Cole,” he said. “At first we could not locate the vehicle and it was down a steep hill. We finally saw it down by the wood line. It was a pickup truck on fire, fully engulfed. We heard a faint tap on a window and knew someone was alive.”
They ran to the truck, which was on its side, and saved the man. The driver was trapped in the cab and his legs were on fire. Kirkland used an arm and hand to literally break out the rear window. Then they reached inside and pulled the man out. “I grabbed his belt to pull him out and his pants had literally melted into his skin,” Kirkland remembers. “The whole thing felt like slow motion. After it was over I thought about what could happened – a gas tank explosion from the fire and heat. We were working on instinct and adrenalin. It could have gone real bad very quickly.” The driver, from Georgia, survived his burns. “He didn’t even call and thank us,” Kirkland joked. ”I’m very proud of what we did.”
And to that rescue story, Kirkland says of himself: “… I’m blessed to have the personality to maintain my composure in high-pressure situations. And I’ll add this – the only thing worse than being a cop is not being one. It’s hard emotionally and physically. It’s a very hard and important job, and it’s a job that really clicked for me. I’m passionate about it every day.”
Tom King is a weekly contributor to KnoxTNToday, where he writes the column Our Town Hero, honoring the service of our first responders. If you have someone you think we should consider featuring, please email Tom using the link with his name or text him at 865-659-3562.
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