In the second part of our three-part series examining the Knoxville Police Department, S. Heather Duncan reports on its relations with Knoxville’s black community. Local tensions have been discussed publicly by hundreds of people who attended forums held by Community Step Up, the FBI, and a local Black Lives Matter group. While some of that distrust has been put aside as both the community and Knoxville police grapple and grieve over a spate of gang-related shootings, the gap between the police experience and that of some vocal black residents is wide.

• Amid Rising Gang Violence, Can KPD Overcome the Doubts of Knoxville’s Black Community?

• KPD’s Approach to Community Policing Does Not Include Much ‘Walking the Beat’

• Photos: On the Beat with KPD

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PART TWO OF A THREE-PART SERIES:

1. The Police
Checks and Balances: How well does KPD police its own officers?

2. The Community
Equal Protection: Can KPD overcome the doubts of Knoxville’s black community?

3. The Arbitrator 
Citizen Review: Does Knoxville’s Police Advisory Review Committee hold KPD accountable?

S. Heather Duncan

S. Heather Duncan has won numerous awards for her feature writing and coverage of the environment, government, education, business and local history during her 15-year reporting career. Originally from Western North Carolina, Heather has worked for Radio Free Europe, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in London, and several daily newspapers. Heather spent almost a dozen years at The Telegraph in Macon, Ga., where she spent most of her time covering the environment or writing project-investigations that provoked changes such as new laws related to day care and the protection of environmentally-sensitive lands. You can reach Heather at heather@knoxmercury.com