Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s…a Knoxville Police Dept. drone!
By George Korda | Illustration by R. Daniel Proctor
Appeared in Cityview Magazine, Vol. 42, Issue 2 (March/April 2026)
You need some years behind you, or you watch retro TV, to recognize the opening lines of the 1950s television series “Superman.” But the modern-day connection fits: the KPD is growing its use of drones as a means of first response to emergencies.
Under the terms of a $9.4 million contract approved by an 8-1 vote of Knoxville City Council, the KPD adds to its existing drone capabilities by contracting with Axon Enterprises to acquire, along with bodycams and other equipment, a dozen drones that will be located throughout the city. What makes these drones different is the sky-eyes will respond automatically to 911 calls, but once on-site, a KPD controller will command the drones.
Police Chief Paul Noel is a drone advocate, which lends credibility to their use. Early in Mayor Indya Kincannon’s term the KPD was awash in controversy. In 2021, 40 murders were committed in Knoxville, the most in a decade. Claims of racism roiled the department. The tension grew to intensity that caused the resignation of the first police chief Kincannon appointed. Noel became chief in 2022 and from the time he arrived, things have quieted. One example: there were 17 murders in 2025, the lowest number since 2016. There has been little KPD operational-related controversy in the news. When they’re not hearing bad news, the public generally believes that systems are working well. On that basis, Noel is doing his job.
A police department – any police department – will never be free of controversy and contention, as the work is too intense and the contact is often tense, or even dangerous. Police-related storms are inevitable. The new drones are perhaps a means to help sail around the squalls.
Noel stresses using analytics in crime fighting and prevention. Simply put, it’s analyzing where the most crimes are occurring, who is committing the crimes, and using the data to stop and solve crimes. The approach is like the difference between a physician trying to react to a patient’s medical problem with a best guess instead of prescribing an MRI to deal with the problem based on deeper examination
Drones responding to a 911 call will be on
a reconnaissance mission to enable KPD to see the landscape to analyze the situation while cars are dispatched, consider a strategy before officers arrive, and give responders real-time intelligence on what can be seen. It’s not a replacement for human beings, but another set of eyes with a vital vantage point. Think of news stories with police video taken from helicopters: a drone is a much smaller, and much less expensive, way to accomplish the same goal using more electronic eyes.
Drones aren’t a political controversy or conflict until circumstances create one. Cameras aren’t the issue; in today’s world cameras observe us in elevators, government buildings, hotel lobbies, airports, banks – even grocery stores. The central concern is government becoming George Orwell’s “1984” Big Brother, surveilling the common people, or “proles,” to ensure they’re obeying the law.
To the degree KPD uses the new drones to create demonstrable crime reduction, the public will be supportive or silent. But police critics are always on the prowl to sniff out real – or even perceived – misconduct. If there’s even suspected drone misuse, the protests will be heard at city council meetings, in the news, at drone sites, and, depending on the issue, perhaps on the streets.
A drone controversy in the next two years wouldn’t make a political difference to Kincannon, whose term ends in Dec. 2027. A blue political liberal, her post-mayor elected-office future is virtually non-existent in a red county and state. If controversy surfaced, upcoming candidates for mayor and city council would be compelled to take positions – probably tiptoeing on a line between concern for privacy rights and being against crime. To inoculate against potential drone-related problems, expect extensive publicity surrounding successful use of the new drones.
It’s impossible to totally separate a police department from politics, as it’s a political entity, managed by people elected or appointed because of politics. Drones are an evolving technology in law enforcement, and mistakes will be made. To the degree guardrails against misuse are public, and swift action taken if problems occur, leaders make themselves, if not Superman-level invulnerable, to political bullets, at least able to move fast enough to get out of the way.
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