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Our Neighborhood Watch program is held at the beginning of each meeting of the neighborhood association (3rd Tuesday of every month except December). An officer of the Knoxville City Police Department (when available) provides the last month's crime statistics for our area and alerts us to any specific activity we should know about.

We are in the East District, and the Lieutenant for the East District is Bob Waldridge who is very supportive of the Neighborhood Watch program. Officer James Lockmiller ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) visits most often.

When you see something suspicious but it is not an emergency, call the police at 215-7450.

You can check out local dispatch radio online without a scanner through radioreference.com. It includes three channels:

1. Knox County Sheriff's Dept. and KPD
2. Knoxville Fire Dept.
3. Knoxville Rescue Squad and Karns Volunteer Fire Dept.

Winter 2010 update

Help KPD help your community: Report all crimes

Your home is burglarized, but nothing important is missing... Someone breaks into your car, but all the burglar got was a few CD*s... Your yard art goes missing. Why bother calling the police?

In fact, there are many good reasons for reporting even petty theft to the Knoxville Police Department (KPD). And there is a convenient way for you to do so.

The Teleserve Unit of the Knoxville Police Department - at 215-7268 - is a telephone investigations unit that provides citizens with a convenient alternative for reporting certain non-violent crimes.

The Teleserve Unit operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It provides a quick way for citizens to obtain advice by telephone, call in non-urgent complaints, request property checks, and make reports for crimes that are not in progress.

The Teleserve Unit is staffed by experienced officers who provide a wealth of information and knowledge, benefiting citizens troubled with police-related issues and concerns. In turn, this enables KPD's patrol officers to remain proactive in their efforts to address other serious issues and crimes in our city.

In 2009 the Teleserve Unit took 52% of all police reports. These reports are processed in the same manner that they would be if a cruiser would be dispatched to the scene. You can obtain a copy of the report for insurance purposes.

To use a car break-in as an example: If there is no suspect in the area, a call to Teleserve for a report may be in order. The Officer taking the report can ask the Mobile Crime Lab to pay a visit if needed. While taking the report, the Teleserve Officer may determine a need for a cruiser at the scene and have one dispatched.

If the crime you are reporting is non-violent and there is no physical evidence, or if you are unable to call from the scene, just call when you can. But make the report as soon as possible so that KPD is aware of activity in your area. This helps KPD establish crime patterns or the presence of a new set of criminals preying on your neighborhood. Such information may help your neighbors from becoming the next victims.  

Here are key phone numbers:

215-7000 - the general KPD number.

215-7268 - the direct dial to Teleserve.  If calls are backed up due to demand, a message will prompt the caller to leave her name and phone number. An Officer in Teleserve will call back to take the report. If the caller chooses to stay on the line, the calls will be answered in the order that the calls have come in.

215-4010 - the non-emergency dispatcher.

911 - the old reliable emergency number. Try to use 911 only in a true emergency, such as a fire, or a crime in progress, or if you spot a suspicious person or vehicle. However, if you don*t have these other numbers handy, you can still call 911. The operator can switch the call to the non-emergency dispatcher for processing.

Greater communication between the public and KPD is extremely helpful in responding to criminal activity. Reports to Teleserve do assist in the apprehension of criminals. Reporting all criminal activity does make the community safer.

Autumn 2009 update

This is the time of year for driveway re-paving and gutter-cleaning scammers to come through.  Scammers look for clues that an elderly person lives in the house, such as the gutters not being cleaned, or the yard not being kept up.  It is a good idea to help elderly neighbors make their houses looked "kept up" so they're not a likely target.

To increase the security of your entry doors, add an additional deadbolt that does not have a keyhole on the outside, that can only be unlocked from inside.

Lock your car doors and do not leave valuables in sight.

Your keys (if you have a remote control with a panic button) have a security alarm system that's easy to use and requires no installation. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car.

Sleeping with your phone by your bed can help you easily call for help in an emergency - medical or otherwise.

Keep a record of serial numbers for your valuables. This can help you recover your goods and help prosecutors win a conviction.