Knoxville Police Department forms new Homicide Unit
The new KPD unit will investigate homicides, suspicious deaths and more.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Knoxville Police Department has gone under some reorganization, resulting in the formation of a Homicide Unit, Communications Manager Scott Erland announced Friday.
The new unit is made up of officers who formally worked in the Violent Crimes Unit, Erland said. The Homicide Unit, which went into effect on Feb. 26, will now be in charge of investigating homicides, suspicious deaths, suicides, non-fatal shootings and any assault involving life-threatening injuries, Erland said.
The Violent Crimes Unit is now focused entirely on robberies, assaults, work-place violence situations and missing adults, Erland added.
“Homicide investigations, in particular, often require a substantial amount of time and resources to bring those cases to a successful resolution,” Chief of Police Paul Noel said. “When those same investigators are also assigned non-life-threatening assaults or robberies, that takes precious time and attention away from homicide investigations. By devoting a unit almost entirely to homicides and reducing the caseload for homicide investigators, they will have the time and resources that they need to more singularly focus on our most high-priority cases.”
So far in 2023, KPD has reported six homicides. An arrest has been made in three of those cases, while the fourth case is under review by the District Attorney’s office.
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