Mayor presses for more deputies, local precinct
To address those law enforcement concerns, Farragut Mayor Ron Williams sent a letter on March 27 to Sheriff Tom Spangler, explaining his concerns.
However, Williams said he has not had a response from the sheriff’s office. Likewise, the farragutpress also reached out to the sheriff’s office through communications director Kimberly Glenn, who said she passed on the request for comment to the sheriff, but the farragutpress also has not received a response from the sheriff.
“We are aware that the sheriff is ill, but he does have a full staff and a PR person who is capable of a reply to the questions in the News Sentinel,” Williams said. He listed the following concerns taking priority: Speeding, reckless driving, red light and stop sign violations, noise ordinance violations, thefts, all break-ins, serving of summons, meeting security, etc.
As Town has not had a response, the mayor said the Board of Mayor and Aldermen are asking for a Municipal Technical Advisory Service study and are waiting for those results.
When the Town was incorporated, it decided to rely on coverage from Knox County Sheriff’s Office rather than establish its own police force to avoid a Town property tax.
KCSO closed down its West Precinct, located in Pinnacle at Turkey Creek in the Town, in October 2025. At that same time, they also lost the KCSO captain who served as a liaison between the Town and KCSO.
Additionally, the mayor said there has been no police coverage in the Town. He is asking for cooperation from KCSO. At at least one Board meeting, a resident has asked why there are no deputies patrolling the streets and recounted the times motorists raced in front of his home.
Most recently, residents and the Board’s concerns mounted, so that Williams penned his March 27 letter to Spangler, asking for a law enforcement presence.
His letter, provided to the farragutpress, is as follows:
“On October 16, 2025, Farragut Town administrator David Smoak and I met with Chief Deputy Bernie Lyon and Hugh Holt regarding several concerns the Town of Farragut has about changes that were made to the operations of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) within the Town of Farragut. The meeting generated great dialogue and discussion, and I was saddened when I learned of Chief Deputy Lyon’s passing in December. I again share my condolences to you, the staff and deputies that worked alongside Bernie as I know he is truly missed.
“It has now been five months since our meeting, and we have not had any follow-up from anyone at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office regarding my concerns. I’m not sure what was relayed to you as a result of that meeting; therefore, I am writing this letter to list our concerns and to initiate further discussion about these issues:
1. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office had a precinct located in the Town of Farragut for over 20 years, initially in the Farragut Town Hall and most recently on Parkside Drive in the Turkey Creek shopping area. My understanding at the time was that the precinct closed due to the expiration of the lease and your office began looking at other options. Although the property owner for Turkey Creek provided what seemed like reasonable and cost-effective options to keep the precinct near its current location, my understanding is that your office chose to move the precinct to the Cedar Bluff area. My concern is the need to continue to have a physical presence for the KCSO located in the Town of Farragut, especially in the Turkey Creek area, as a deterrent for criminal activity that occurs in large retail shopping areas. My request is that you include in the KCSO budget for 2027 the resources needed to reopen a location in Farragut.
2. Since the precinct is now closed in Farragut, the captain that was in charge there has been reassigned to other duties. Having a daily and direct contact within KCSO that can handle the concerns that are received by residents and coordinate resources to address those concerns is critical to providing quality service to the community. Chief Deputy Lyon offered to assist in this effort, but with his passing, we have not had another member of the command staff reassigned and ask that someone be appointed that we can communicate with when needed.
3. I appreciate the recent beer compliance testing that was conducted by KCSH in early March. Thankfully, all businesses located within the Town of Farragut passed this test. These compliance checks need to be conducted on a regular basis so there is consistent monitoring to keep alcoholic beverages out of the hands of minors and ensure businesses are doing their part to keep our youth safe.
4. I request a proposal from KCSO to provide two additional full-time patrols within the Farragut town limits. With the economic and residential growth our area has experienced, now is a critical time to enhance public safety in our community. The Town of Farragut is finalizing our budget for next year and look forward to the opportunity to improve KCSO visibility and presence in the community. If this can be achieved, please provide an estimate of what these additional officers would cost so the Board of Mayor and Aldermen may consider it during our budget discussions.
Additionally, “For some reason that has not been clarified, KCSO has refused to process serve for the Town of Farragut on matters that need to be heard by our municipal court, even though the Town pays for that service each time it is used,” the mayor stated. “Because of this, the Town has had to pay for private process services over the past two years to handle these matters. We request this service, as any other entity within Knox County has this right, moving forward.
“Thank you in advance for taking the time to listen to our concerns, and I welcome the opportunity to work together to enhance the safety of the Town of Farragut and its citizens. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I look forward to your prompt response."
In a letter to respond to a concerned citizen, Williams stated: “While we hope the new sheriff will work closely with us, we would prefer to have our needs addressed now. We don’t think we should have to wait until September for law enforcement.
“In addition to better communication with the KCSO, we’d like to have a precinct in Farragut again. We don’t understand why we lost this important law enforcement presence after having a Farragut precinct for over 20 years. A precinct is needed in deep west Knox County to serve Farragut, as well as the growing population in Hardin Valley and Choto,” the mayor stated. “The Town currently has a population of 26,000, and the combined population of these three areas is likely over 60,000 property tax-paying residents. We deserve to have the same service as other parts of the county."
“While we are open to improving KCSO service in Farragut with additional vehicles and officers, that is something that would require cooperative discussion with the sheriff as well as approval from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. I look forward to these upcoming conversations.”
