For years, Tennessee lawmakers have worked to protect domestic violence victims, and they’ve achieved some successes. The case of a Knoxville police officer, however, shows there are gaping holes in the system that can put dangerous offenders back into the community with no record they’ve hurt someone.
John Pickens choked his wife, lost his job at the Knoxville Police Department and pleaded guilty to domestic assault. Pickens struck a deal with Knox County prosecutors, who agreed to expunge his record in 2025, meaning there is no record that he committed the crime.
Pickens wants his job back because, he argues, his expungement erases all record of his case in the courts, meaning KPD can’t hold him responsible. KPD does not want him back on the force, and Police Chief Paul Noel has been vocal about his objection to being forced to employ an officer who broke the law, to say nothing of internal policies…