Kingsport Central Dispatch
Lieutenant Kevin Hite began his law enforcement career at the Kingsport Police Department in 1995 as a Corrections Officer. He was sworn in as a Police Officer in 1997 and was assigned to the Patrol Division and Community Police Unit. He served for 20 years on the K.P.D. SWAT Team, eventually serving as SWAT Team Commander. He also has extensive experience as a K-9 Officer, first handling Odus, a dual-purpose Patrol/Narcotics Detection German Shepherd, and later handling Charlee, a single-purpose Explosives Detection Labrador Retriever. He is a highly respected instructor, specializing in the fields of firearms, defensive tactics, and use of force. He promoted through the ranks, serving as a Corporal in the Training Unit and as a Sergeant in both the Training and Traffic Units. He was promoted to Lieutenant in January of 2019, and after serving for a period as a Watch Commander in the Patrol Division, he currently serves as Executive Director of Kingsport 911.
Each year, the Communications Specialists in Kingsport Central Dispatch process roughly a quarter of a million telephone calls. Approximately twenty percent (50,000) of these calls are emergency calls to 9-1-1. Although a division of the Kingsport Police Department, Kingsport Central Dispatch also provides services for the Kingsport Fire Department, Sullivan County E.M.S., Kingsport Life Saving Crew, and other city departments and functions.For additional information on the Kingsport Emergency Communications District, please visit http://kingsport911.org.
Kingsport Central Dispatch moved into the new 7,500 square foot, state-of-the-art, 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center in Downtown Kingsport in October 2015. Central Dispatch had previously been housed in a cramped 1,000 square foot space on the second floor of the Kingsport Justice Center since 1989. Prior to that, Central Dispatch operated out of the basement of the Civic Auditorium. Central Dispatch personnel include the 9-1-1 Director, a Communications Supervisor, a Technical Services Coordinator, 4 Shift Leaders, and more than a dozen Communications Specialists.
