Anastasia Morrisey began her UT career providing security for the bookstore. She quickly decided that job wasn’t for her. She applied and was hired for a UTPD dispatch position. Twelve years later, she’s still in love with the job. She recently was promoted to head supervisor.

Ashley Anderson loved being a student at UT so much that she decided she wanted to start a career at the university after graduation. After earning her sociology degree in 2017, the Greeneville, Tenn., native applied and was accepted for a job in the UTPD dispatch center. She aspires to be a police officer one day.

Lisa Cain was a Louisiana sheriff’s deputy for 25 years. She moved to Knoxville with her family after Hurricane Katrina and joined UTPD dispatch. Fun fact: Cain is a certified National Parks interpreter.

Brandon Russell joined UTPD Dispatch in November 2018 after a short stint as a rural mail carrier in Sevier County. He decided on the UT job over others because of the tone of the interactions during his interview and tour of the police department.

They’ve fielded calls about raccoons under dumpsters, dead car batteries, crimes and medical emergencies. One even received a marriage proposal from an intoxicated caller. They are UTPD dispatchers who answer the station’s phone lines 24/7. This week we will introduce a dispatcher from each shift and a supervisor to give the Volunteer community an inside look into who they are and the work they do.

University of Tennessee Police Department’s K9 Bruno has received a bullet and stab protective vest, thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

Johnetta Whitmire, a retired administrative assistant at the UT Police Department, passed away on March 6. She was 69.

University of Tennessee Police Department officers and staff today read to preschoolers in celebration of Read Across America Day. The staff sat in toddler-sized chairs or got down on the carpet with the children and shared some of their favorite books at both locations of the UT Early Learning Center.

For 18 years, Mike Williams taught social studies and US history to 8th through 12th grade students in upper East Tennessee. The longtime educator also served stints as an elementary school principal and high school assistant principal. In summer 2016, Williams experienced a disappointment that would lead to an unlikely opportunity: a second career as a police officer.

University of Tennessee Police Department officers will share their love of books with UT’s littlest community members on Friday, March 1. From 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., about a dozen UTPD officers and department staff will take turns reading to the children at the UT Early Learning Center, 1206 White Avenue.