Pigeon Forge receives Municipal League award for Excellence in Police Services

In a time when many police departments across the country are facing challenges including a lack of funding, qualified employees, and public support, the Pigeon Forge Police Department is a small-town department that provides services for an estimated 14 million people each year as they police both local residents and visitors who come to the area’s many attractions.  

For their ability to maintain quality and efficient public services amid the challenges of being a small department that serves millions of visitors, the Tennessee Municipal League is pleased to present Pigeon Forge with an award for Excellence in Police Services. 

In addition to the large number of visitors Pigeon Forge sees each year, the Pigeon Forge Police Department is charged with managing a multitude of special events on an almost weekly basis from religious conventions to corporate retreats to car shows and local festivals. The department does all of this and protects its more than 6,000 full-time residents. 

To keep up the pace required for this kind of activity, the department encourages officers and staff to work out while on duty. Officers are allowed 2.5 hours a week of paid time to exercise and employees who manage 50 hours of time in a 6-month period earn a day off. Those who perform 175 hours for a year get a gift at the annual Christmas party.  

To focus on mental health and to encourage officers to spend time with family and friends, the department allows officers to have every other weekend off and continue to be on the four, 10-hour shifts they currently work. As a result, every other weekend each officer gets a four-day weekend, which creates higher job satisfaction and increases employee retention.  

Under the leadership of Chief Richie Catlett, the department has also taken considerable time and effort to achieve its second Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Award from the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.