L TO R: Avice Evans Reid served as the second PARC Executive Director and she is the City's current Senior Director of Community Relations; Carol Scott was the first person to serve as the Executive Director of PARC; and Clarence L. Vaughn III is the current Executive Director of PARC
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Mayor Rogero, City officials, board members and supporters of Knoxville's Police Advisory and Review Committee (PARC) gathered Friday, Sept. 21, 2018 to mark the 20th anniversary of PARC - the initiative to improve relations between residents and the Knoxville Police Department. 

PARC is the longest continuously running citizen-run police advisory board in Tennessee, comprising seven volunteers served by a full-time executive director who is hired by the Mayor and approved by the committee. PARC provides an independent review of police activity and makes recommendations to the Chief of Police.

PARC has formed relationships between law enforcement and residents with an emphasis on making the City of Knoxville a safe and inviting place. In addition to providing cultural competency and unconscious bias training to KPD officers, PARC leads outreach efforts to ensure that residents and law enforcement officers have the opportunity to learn about diversity, inclusion, community policing and public safety. 

“Independent reviews of police conduct and issues regarding public safety build trust in law enforcement, increasing our police officers’ ability to keep residents safe,” says Clarence L. Vaughn III, who was named PARC’s third Executive Director in April 2016. 


HISTORY OF PARC

Realizing there was an urgent need to restore trust between the Knoxville Police Department and the citizens they serve, Mayor Victor Ashe issued an Executive Order to create the Police Advisory and Review Committee (PARC) on September 22, 1998. The civilian oversight model was comprised of a 7 member volunteer citizen committee and a full-time executive director. That model is still in use today.

Based on its success, PARC became a formal part of the City of Knoxville’s Code of Ordinances in May 2001 (Ordinance No. 0-194-01). PARC is designed to strengthen the relationship between the citizens of the City of Knoxville and the Knoxville Police Department. Additionally, PARC provides an independent review of police activity and makes recommendations to the police chief.

Through PARC’s quarterly public meetings, citizens have an opportunity to hear case statistics and learn about the types of issues being address by the committee. These meetings also provide a framework for citizens to ask questions and express concerns with KPD’s chief and command staff.

Over the past 20 years, 29 citizens have served the community as PARC committee members and all of the PARC Executive Directors have provided national leadership by serving on committees or as board members of the National Association for Civilian Oversight. PARC is the longest continuously running citizen police advisory board in Tennessee.


PARC MEMBERS

Listed in chronological order dating from 1998—present

Sterling Owen, IV *
Bridget Bailey
Robyn Askew*
Rev. Reginald Butler*
Dr. Joe Johnson
Kamau Kenyatta
Rev. Jim McCluskey
Vivian Gwinn
Dr. Avice Evans Reid*
Rev. George W.C. Lyons, Jr.
Santos Aguilar
William Cole*
Robert Murrian
Lysette Aviles-Kok
Ola Blackmon-McBride*
Rev. John Butler
Waneta Long
Rabbi Beth Schwartz
J. Laurens Tullock
Steven Fisher*
Robbie Arrington
Cynthia White
Ann Barker
Rosa Mar*
Melford Robinson
Jered Croom
H. Frank Shanklin
LaKenya Middlebrook
Robert Gibson

* Served as PARC Chairperson