Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel is on a mandated leave of absencefor four weeks without pay, which will cost him about $19,000 in salary, plus the cost of mandated counseling, for sending inappropriate text messages on a city mobile phone to a subordinate, Jasmine Reed.
Noel is the city's highest-paid city employee at $226,267 a year. David Brace chief of staff for Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon comes in second at $213,961, followed by city Law Director Charles Swanson at $208,191.
This came to the city's attention in June when the Hodges, Doughty & Carson law firm was hired to conduct an independent investigation of the situation. The inappropriate conduct first was revealedas KPD investigators were looking into an unrelated complaint filed
against Reed. The firm is charging $225 an hour and has been paid $8,726.58 to date in city tax dollars.
When Noel returns to his current position, it is hard to see how he restores his credibility in the 16 months left in Kincannon's time as mayor. Her decision not to fire him may have been influenced by knowing it would be difficult to hire a new police chief, especially from outside the Knoxville Police Department. Kincannon has named Assistant Chief David Powell as acting police chief.
It would not surprise me if Noel is already actively looking for an exit from his current employment. His return to active duty is not a given, or it may be a short return until he finds employment allowing him to leave. Noel is not vested in the city pension plan, as that requires 10 years of active service.
Should Noel stay to the end of Kincannon's term it guarantees he becomes an issue in the upcoming mayor's race. Each new candidate will be asked whether they will retain Noel or seek a new chief from inside or outside the department. I was fortunate to have Phil Keith for most of my 16 years as mayor, and he continued into Mayor Bill Haslam's term.
The released texts go back to April 7, 2024, so it was not an isolated episode. We have not been told the nameof the person who told police internal investigators initially about the text messages between Noel and Reed communications.
What is especially ironic is that Noel came to Knoxville from New Orleans with a national reputation for ethical policing and accountability. He created the enhanced professional standards structure ultimately used in investigating him.
Back to compensation, Kincannon's salary is $162,500 per year, $50,000 less than Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs makes and incoming County Mayor Betsy Henderson will earn. Knoxville Fire Department Chief Stan Sharp makes $180,068 annually, or $46,199 a year below the police chief's pay.
Birthdays
Aug. 29: Amber Rountree and Fletcher Stewart are 45. Ned DeLozier is 51. Knoxville Fire Department Chief Stan Sharp is 67. Veronica Shreve is 34. Tracy A. Clough is 64. Rosalind Moseley is 90. Tom Krajewski is 43. David Hall is 71.
Aug. 30: Marty Begalla is 81. Beverly Kerr is 78. Susan Krisle is 79. Matthew Best is 37. Jennifer Sicking is 52.
Aug. 31: Former City Councilwoman Lauren Rider is 52. Sandi Robinson is 90. Sharon Moore, executive director of the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, is 58. Cody Rau is 34. Benjamin J. Dongarra is 41. Attorney Jim MacDonald is 77. Patricia Catalina Kornmeyer is 47. Wesley Blosser is 33. Lauren Vassallo is 36.
Sept. 1: Retired University of Tennessee football Coach Phil Fulmer is 76. Attorney Celeste Herbert is 70. Courtney Dziewulski is 33. Matt Kredich, director of swimming and diving at UT, is 61. Tony Henninger is 72. Todd Frommeyer is 61.
Sept. 2: Dennis Owen is 74. Attorney Andrew Beamer is 42. Author Steve Berry is 71. State Supreme Court Justice Kyle Hixson is 43. Attorney Ethan Young is 31. Tom McCarley is 80. R.C. Lawhorn is 62.
Sept. 3. Mary Alice Tucker is 94. State Rep. David Wright is 81. Richard Isaac is 81. John M. Wachowicz is 80. Retired Central Baptist Pastor Wade Bibb is 65.
Sept. 4: Bill Tapp is 77. Justin Krieg, son of retired attorney Dick Krieg, is 45. Howard Vogel is 77. Alex Vogel is 48. Attorney Christy A. Caviness is 47. Former state Rep. Harry Brooks is 80. John Diddle is 77.
Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Police Chief Paul Noel's future remains an open question | Opinion
