Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison has been the focus of the Knoxville News-Sentinel anti-bias toward him personally. Will the Knoxville News-Sentinel ever acknowledge and report the progressive contributions that the Sheriff has brought to the Knox County Sheriffs Department since his first election in 1990?
I have witnessed the operations of the sheriffs department first hand. I served four years on the Knox County Jail Inspection Committee, three as Chairman. I served on the Knox County Sheriffs Department Merit System Council for three years.
A few successes that come to mind include, but are not limited to: the detention facility in East Knox County. The helicopters that were obtained from a federal government surplus program at no cost and minimal operational cost. The horse patrol for the areas of Knox County where a patrol car will not go. The training "boot camp" program for new officers. The state of the art firing range and training facility. The citizens sheriffs academy.
For all the perceived scandal (like the vacation home, where the sheriffs family will never feel safe again) that can be written about there are 10 stories of successful administration of progressive law enforcement. The sad part of this saga is that the perceived scandals sell newspapers but never materialize into reality.
