Retired Federal Judge Bruce Guyton has been named the permanent Deputy Chief of the Knoxville Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards, it was announced on Thursday.

Guyton has served as the Interim Deputy Chief of Professional Standards since July, 2023.

“I couldn’t be happier to have Judge Guyton as a full-time member of our senior leadership team,” Chief Paul Noel said. “Judge Guyton is thoughtful, measured and consistent. He is a great fit within our department and has proven to be an incredibly valuable member of our team. He also intimately understands his role to evaluate our policies and procedures and lead our efforts to implement the nationally-recognized best practices.”

Prior to assuming the Interim Deputy Chief of Professional Standards role, Guyton served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Tennessee for nearly 20 years. He retired from that post in early 2022. Prior to that, he was a founding partner of local law firm Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter, PLLC. One of his primary areas of concentration was discrimination and employment law.

“I am proud to accept the full-time Deputy Chief of Professional Standards role,” Guyton said. “I have enjoyed my time at the Knoxville Police Department and the work that I am doing. I look forward to continuing that work and doing my part to make the KPD the best it can be.”

“With Judge Guyton’s help, we conducted a nationwide search for the Deputy Chief of Professional Standards position,” Chief Noel said. “As that process played out, it became apparent that Judge Guyton was the right person for the job long term. I am thrilled that Judge Guyton accepted the offer. We will benefit tremendously from the time that have Judge Guyton on our staff.”