Knoxville Police Chief Rausch named new director of TBI

NASHVILLE — Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch has been named the next director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Rausch, 55, was one of three finalists vying for the agency’s top job. Gov. Bill Haslam appointed him to the post Monday, praising him in a statement for his work as chief of the Knoxville Police Department.

“David brings a wealth of experience to the TBI and the proven leadership to continue the great progress the agency has made in making Tennessee safer,” Haslam said.

“As police chief in Knoxville, he took on both urban and rural public safety issues and collaborated with local, state and federal partners to help address some of the region’s most pressing crimes, such as gang activity and human trafficking.”

Rausch started at KPD in 1993 as a patrol officer working mainly in the Mechanicsville, Western Heights and Lonsdale communities. He rose through the ranks, from officer, to sergeant, toNASHVILLE — Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch has been named the next director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.Rausch, 55, was one of three finalists vying for the agency’s top job. Gov. Bill Haslam appointed him to the post Monday, praising him in a statement for his work as chief of the Knoxville Police Department.“David brings a wealth of experience to the TBI and the proven leadership to continue the great progress the agency has made in making Tennessee safer,” Haslam said.“As police chief in Knoxville, he took on both urban and rural public safety issues and collaborated with local, state and federal partners to help address some of the region’s most pressing crimes, such as gang activity and human trafficking.”Rausch started at KPD in 1993 as a patrol officer working mainly in the Mechanicsville, Western Heights and Lonsdale communities. He rose through the ranks, from officer, to sergeant, to lieutenant, captain and deputy chief. He became chief in March 2011 when then-Mayor Dan Brown appointed him to the post, and after her election, Mayor Madeline Rogero opted to keep him in the role.Rausch has raised his national profile in recent years, traveling to speak at various conferences and conventions about his work battling the opioid crisis that claims the lives of three Tennesseans each day.During his time at KPD, Rausch equipped officers with the lifesaving anti- overdose drug naloxone and helped form an investigative task force to target drug dealers tied to fatal overdoses.Last year, Rausch trekked four times to Washington, D.C., where he testified before a U.S. House committee and stood directly behind President Trump as Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency.Throughout his travels, Rausch formed connections that may prove useful in his new role.He met with senior White House advisers Kellyanne Conway and Jared Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law. He discussed marijuana policy in March with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Steve Cook, an associate deputy attorney general under Sessions, is a former KPD officer who for Rausch is just a phone call away.In a statement, Rausch said he is “honored and humbled” to be selectedfor the position.“The TBI is an excellent organization with amazing employees dedicated to serving the great state of Tennessee,” he said. “I look forward to working alongside them to lead the agency into the next chapter and am excited to bring my vision and energy to serve in this capacity.”Rausch’s appointment came at almost the same time as news of a potential scandal involving Acting TBI Director Jason Locke.Investigators are looking into whether Locke misused state funds after his wife, Kim Locke, emailed a complaint to Gov. Haslam’s office on Friday, officials said. In an email to the Tennessean last week, Kim Locke outlined her concerns that her husband had used state funds during an affair with another state employee.Jason Locke assumed the duties of TBI director after the previous head of the agency, Mark Gwyn, retired earlier this year. Locke also was one of three finalists for the permanent director position; the TBI Nominating Commission narrowed down a field of 44 applicants to Rausch, Locke and Tennessee Board of Parole member Tim Gobble.Rausch is slated to report to work at the TBI on Monday.Mayor Rogero said Monday she doesn’t plan on appointing an interim police chief. She said she’ll begin her search for Rausch’s replacement by interviewing KPD’s four “excellent” deputy chiefs, two of whom are women, to gauge their interest in the job.Rogero said she won’t rush a decision but “I won’t drag my feet on it, either.”

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