Phipps Named Kingsport’s New Police Chief
Effective immediately, Dale Phipps has been officially appointed as the fifteenth Chief of Police of the City of Kingsport Police Department. Phipps has served as Interim Chief of Police during the transition phase while the formal hiring process took place to replace former Police Chief David Quillin, who retired late last year after 35 years of service.
“I consider it an honor and a privilege to have been named Chief of Police of such a highly professional law enforcement agency in such a supportive community,” said Phipps. “I look forward to not just leading, but also working alongside, the fine men and women of the Kingsport Police Department as we move forward into the future.”
Phipps has nearly 33 years of service himself with almost half that time as Deputy Chief overseeing administration and operations. He is also a husband, father of three, grandfather of six, and is active in the community.
He is a graduate of East Tennessee State University (A.S. Law Enforcement / B.S. Criminal Justice) and the F.B.I. National Academy. Prior to entering the law enforcement profession, he served four years in the United States Air Force Security Police.
During his career with the Kingsport Police Department, he has served as Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, and Supervisor of the Vice and Narcotics Unit before eventually returning to the Patrol Division as a Watch Commander. Throughout the years he has served in several specialized roles including S.W.A.T. Team Operator, Community Relations and Crime Prevention Officer, and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Instructor.
The city utilized a thorough and competitive process comprised of both internal and external candidates to select the new Chief of Police, but ultimately concluded that the Kingsport Police Department was already in extremely capable hands.
“I have had the privilege of working with Chief Phipps for well over a decade, and he has continually demonstrated to me, and others, that he has all the qualities to lead our Police Department,” said City Manager Chris McCartt. “The interview process confirmed everything I knew about Chief Phipps both personally and professionally. This process also further strengthened the fact that we are blessed to have a very well-trained police department that can serve and lead our city for decades to come.”
The Kingsport Police Department has been internationally-accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) for 29 years—an achievement earned by only 1,148 of the more than 17,000 state and local law enforcement agencies in the U.S.
