Haslam names Knoxville police chief new TBI head
NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday announced he has named Knoxville police Chief David B. Rausch as the new director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The other finalists were former Bradley County Sheriff
Tim Gobble, who formerly worked for the U.S. Secret Service, and acting TBI Director Jason Locke. The bureau confirmed Monday that Locke is under investigation over accusations that he misused state funds.
Rausch will fill the unexpired term of former director Mark Gwyn, who left earlier this year.
“David brings a wealth of experience to the TBI and the proven leadership to continue the great progress the agency has made in making Tennessee safer,” Haslam said in a news release.
Haslam said that, as Knoxville’s police chief, Rausch, 55, “took on both urban and rural public safety issues and collaborated with local, state and federal partners to help address some of the region’s most pressing crimes, such as gang activity and human trafficking.”
Saying he was “honored and humbled” by the appointment,
Rausch called the TBI “an excellent organization with amazing employees dedicated to serving the great state of Tennessee.”
“I look forward to working alongside them to lead the agency into the next chapter and am excited to bring my vision and energy to serve in this capacity,” Rausch added.
Haslam’s mayoral successor in Knoxville named Rausch in 2011 as that city’s top law enforcement official.
Rausch oversaw an agency of more than 500 employees, including some 400 sworn police officers. He joined the department in 1993 and rose through the ranks, serving as deputy chief and as a member of the special operations squad.
The governor’s office said that throughout Rausch’s quarter century with the department he focused on community policing and building relationships with local, state and federal agencies.
He has held leadership roles in professional organizations including the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
In 2017, Rausch was named chief of the year by the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.
Longtime TBI director Gwyn left this spring after a critical state comptroller audit that raised questions about the agency’s use of reserve funds for ongoing expenses.