He’s known simply as “Robbie T.” at work. A co-worker at the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) uses these words to describe Capt. Rob “Robbie T.” Taylor: “I don’t even know where to start with him. He’s been doing it for more than 30 years (34 years), and he still has as much passion for his job today as when he started. He’s just a great guy who is beloved here and a cop’s cop.”
And that’s music to Robbie T.’s ears.
The KPD’s very first “Cadet” program class of nine young men in 1992 included a 19-year-old graduate of West High School’s class of 1990, Rob Taylor. He’s been there ever since, going from cadet to the KPD Police Academy, graduating and joining the force in 1994. It ran in the family. His father, Dick Taylor, retired from the KPD in 2015 as a sergeant.
Taylor, 52, was promoted to captain in 2025 and is in his second year as the leader of the KPD Field Operations Support Division. That division includes more than 100 officers under his leadership who are part of the Support Division’s 11 different units…