David Quillin, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

As previously released:

On November 28, 2017 at approximately 7:30 AM, a white 2010 Ford Escape compact sport utility vehicle was stolen from a Stratford Road apartment complex in Kingsport while the owner had left it unlocked, running, and unattended while it was defrosting outside of her residence.

The stolen vehicle was found a few days later, abandoned in Sullivan County. When it was recovered, it had been extensively vandalized to include various damage to the interior, a stripped ignition, and being spray painted black. There was also a reddish-brown stain in the vehicle that appeared to have been blood.

The stain was swabbed and sent to the TBI Crime Lab for analysis. The results of that test were recently received by the Kingsport Police Department, indicating that the stain had been positively matched by DNA to Anthony J. Coffey.

A warrant has been obtained, charging Mr. Coffey with 1) Motor Vehicle Theft over $2,500 and 2) Vandalism over $1,000. As of the time of issuance of this news release, he remains wanted and at large.

Anyone who knows his current whereabouts is asked to contact Detectives in the K.P.D. Criminal Investigations Division by calling 423-229-9429 or call Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111.

Alternatively, if an individual who is able to supply information related to this or any other case wishes not to be identified, tips can be submitted anonymously via online “Citizen Feedback” forms available at the following link:

https://www.kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department/contact-us

28 Years of Age

Kingsport, TN

2) Vandalism over $1,000

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

David Quillin, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

The City of Kingsport Human Resources Department is currently accepting applications for the position of Police Officer. The Kingsport Police Department is hoping to hire several new officers out of this application process to fill any existing and upcoming vacancies. Applications are being accepted from February 3, 2019 until no later than March 3, 2019.

Individuals who are interested in a career in law enforcement are encouraged to apply. All applicants must be a United States citizen and either already be at least 21 years of age or be turning 21 by no later than September 21, 2019 (six months after the test date). Applicants are asked to only submit their application once, as weeding out duplicate applications hampers efficiency. All applications must be submitted online using the following link:

https://www.GovernmentJobs.com/Careers/Kingsport

Following the March 3rd deadline, all applicants will receive a confirmation email, as well as a letter by traditional mail, containing further instructions regarding the upcoming Police Applicant Testing procedures. All applicants will undergo a series of assessments, beginning with a written examination on the morning of Thursday, March 21, 2019. The written examination will be administered at the Civic Auditorium, located at 1550 Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport.

While not an absolute requirement, applicants are strongly encouraged to invest in the Stanard and Associates National Police Officer Selection Test “Online POST Study Guide” and “Online POST Practice Test” to assist them in preparing for this examination. These online study aids are currently priced very reasonably at $5 and $15 respectively and are available for purchase at the following link:

https://www.ApplyToServe.com/Study

Applicants should take note that the current written examination used for Police Applicant Testing is obtained from a completely different vendor than the City of Kingsport used prior to 2018; therefore, other study guides that may have been recommended in the past and obtained and utilized by applicants to prepare for former tests taken prior to 2018 may not be applicable to the current examination.

Applicants who successfully pass the written examination will advance forward to a physical agility evaluation that same afternoon at 1:00 PM. The physical agility evaluation will consist of a timed one-mile run and a timed roughly one-quarter-mile obstacle course designed to measure fitness, strength, agility, and endurance as related to the duties of a Police Officer.

Applicants are also strongly encouraged to participate in a voluntary practice physical agility evaluation and question and answer session. This session will take place on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 1:00 PM at Domtar Park, located at 1414 Riverport Road in Kingsport. Individuals must have an application on file and sign a waiver of liability in order to be eligible to participate in this practice session.

Those applicants with the highest combined scores on the written examination and physical agility evaluation will move forward to an interview panel to further vet the candidates. The top finishers will then be interviewed by the Chief of Police to determine the finalists. Those ultimately selected will also be subject to a medical examination, psychological evaluation, and a thorough background investigation prior to actual hiring.

The current starting salary for Police Officer Trainee is $15.92 per hour or $33,119 annually. Applicants who are already certified law enforcement officers may be eligible for a salary adjustment to compensate for prior experience if certain criteria are met. Academy training and all essential equipment including uniforms, firearms, body armor, and duty gear are provided by the department. K.P.D. also issues take-home police cruisers to officers meeting specific residency requirements.

City of Kingsport employee benefits include direct payroll deposit; paid vacation, holiday, and sick leave; employee life insurance; optional supplemental and dependent life insurance; long-term disability; health insurance; optional dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; ICMA RC 401 retirement; and optional ICMA RC 457 retirement.

For additional information regarding the application process, please call the City of Kingsport Human Resources Department at 423-229-9401. For additional information regarding a law enforcement career at the Kingsport Police Department, please call Lieutenant Chris Tincher with the K.P.D. Professional Standards Unit at 423-343-9805.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton

David Quillin, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Auto Burglaries are also on the rise. Again, it is important to note that in the vast majority of Auto Burglaries, the vehicle had either been left unlocked, or the owner had left an item of obvious real or perceived value in plain sight inside the vehicle. To reiterate, very few cars that are being stolen or burglarized are actually being forcibly broken into. In nearly all of the cases, had the owner of the vehicle taken a few basic preventative measures, the crime could have easily been deterred.

During the 2018 calendar year, 314 vehicles were reported stolen to the Kingsport Police Department. While the vast majority of those stolen vehicles (86 percent) have already been successfully recovered, 43 still remain missing. During the same time period, 504 vehicles were burglarized in Kingsport.

So far this year in 2019 to date, 34 vehicles have been reported stolen to the Kingsport Police Department. Again, the vast majority of these stolen vehicles (79 percent) have already been successfully recovered; however, 7 vehicles still remain missing. During the same time period, 36 vehicles have been burglarized in Kingsport.

This particular problem is by no means unique to Kingsport. When sharing crime intelligence information with other agencies, feedback indicates that similar trends are being experienced in other jurisdictions.

K.P.D. has prioritized investigating and preventing these types of crimes, but we are asking for some additional help from the public. To that end, the good news is that the occurrence of these two crimes can easily be lessened or even prevented altogether by utilizing the following common sense measures:

1) Never leave your vehicle unlocked while unattended.

Your vehicle was designed with locking doors for a very good reason. It should be locked at all times. It should be locked while you are driving it, and it should be locked while it is parked and unoccupied. The only time that it should ever be unlocked is if you are getting into it or out of it, or if it is parked inside a securely closed and locked garage.

2) Never leave the key inside your parked and unoccupied vehicle.

Leaving the key inside your parked and unoccupied vehicle is asking for trouble. It allows undeterred access to the vehicle by criminals. It also allows curious children to potentially get behind the wheel, which could obviously lead to tragic results.

3) Never leave your car key in an unsecure location.

Even if your key is not actually inside the vehicle, it is important to make sure that it is stored securely and cannot be easily accessed.

Some vehicles were locked; however, they were stolen anyway after the key was first stolen.

4) Never leave your vehicle running unless you are actually in it.

The only thing worse than leaving your key in your vehicle is leaving the key in the ignition with the engine running. Again, it allows undeterred access to the vehicle by criminals, and it also allows curious children to potentially get behind the wheel, which could obviously lead to tragic results.

Several vehicles have been stolen while they were left running, unlocked, and unoccupied while they were defrosting in the morning.

Several vehicles have been stolen while they were left running, unlocked, and unoccupied while the owner made a brief visit into a convenience store or gas station.

5) Never leave items of real or perceived value in plain sight inside your vehicle.

Other than leaving your vehicle unlocked, the best way to get it broken into is to leave something valuable inside of it. Purses, backpacks, duffle/tote bags, electronics, medications, firearms, money, etc. should never be left inside your vehicle, especially not in plain view. And remember, it doesn’t even have to be valuable to you as long as it appears potentially valuable to a criminal peeking into a window.

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton