I always support law enforcement. I served several years (1994-1998) at the request of the Knox County Commission on the Knox County Jail Inspection Committee. It was during a time that the Commission had a committee to prove to a federal Judge that they were addressing overcrowding and jail conditions. During that time, I was able to help facilitate conflict between correctional officers, jail administrators and inmates. Immediately after that service, (1998-2000) I served at the request of the Knox County Commission on the Board of the Knox County Sheriffs Office Merit System. With that background on the record I will do something that I don’t think I have ever done and that is to say that a Knox County Sheriff Officer erred and Knox County needs to acknowledge the error and fix it, some how, some way.

In the early morning hours last week, a couple Knox County Sheriff’s Officers responded to the home of Kenny Bailey because of 911 hang up call. For some reason they parked a considerable distance from the home. They approached the East Knox County home by foot and instead of going to a front door or back door, it appears to the body cam video they took a billy stick and knocked on the side of the home.

Obviously as the noise of the beating on the home broke the silence of the morning , three dogs came running to the sound. An officer shot the second dog. It was said by the officers that the dog charged them. In my humble opinion, the officers body cam video does not support such claim. Read the story from WATE last week, here which includes an edited body cam video. For some reason the 4 minute video provided to news outlets at the end have Kenny Bailey saying that he understands their need to shoot the dog. Bailey has posted on his Facebook that the video was edited the comment taken out of context.

There is a Facebook page that has been created, Justice for Jack, Check it out here. Knox County needs to acknowledge the officers error and correct it, in my humble opinion.