Officer Kamron Moats graduates from police academy

Kamron Moats has known since childhood that he wanted to become a police officer.

Growing up, his father, Kenneth “Kenny” Moats, worked as an officer for the Maryville Police Department. Now, Kamron is following in his footsteps.

Kamron Moats has graduated from the Blount County Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Academy and is now field training by working with an experienced officer who can show him the ropes. Moats said the field training is a mix of shadowing and hands-on work.

So far, he’s dealt with mostly mild cases, but surely that will change once he’s worked the beat long enough.

Moats said that while the three months he spent at the academy were challenging, it was an incredibly supportive environment.

“The people in there, all the trainees and everything, we were all together. If you needed help, you could ask one of them; they’d be right by your side; they’d have your back.”

In a very relatable admission, Moats said distance running wasn’t one of his strengths. While testing for the running portion, fellow officers rallied around him to give him that final push he needed to make his time.

Besides the running, Moats felt at home with the training in the academy and didn’t experience many challenges or mental blocks. In fact, he began working the day after he graduated from the academy.

The path wasn’t always straightforward. While Moats knew early on he wanted to get involved in law enforcement, later on, when he became involved in high school football, he started considering pursuing college football instead.

He turned down every college coach who called him to play football on a collegiate level and decided to dive headfirst into his career as a Maryville Police Department officer.

Moats said his father inspired his decision to enter law enforcement.

“If he wasn’t with us and dealing with his family, then he was out helping the community. He really liked people,” said Moats

Moats said he feels the same love for the community and felt very supported in his journey to law enforcement.

He is motivated by his almost two-month-old son and the desire to create and maintain a safe community for him to grow up in.

Moats’ favorite parts of the job are “helping the community whenever I can and however I can,” he said.

By the end of July, Moats will have finished field training and will be ready to patrol on his own. He may even consider applying to be a K-9 officer later on in his career. Wherever his career takes him, the care of the community is at the forefront of his mind.

“We really love the community. We love helping people,” Moats said