Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) – Newly released Knoxville Police Department investigative files are shedding additional light on misconduct findings involving Officer Jasmine Reed, including an on-duty affair with a superior officer and a separate investigation involving messages sent by another high-ranking member of the department.
The records detail two internal investigations involving Reed, now-retired Lt. Keith DeBow and Capt. Tammy DeBow. Investigators concluded that Reed and Keith DeBow engaged in an affair that included sexual encounters while on duty and on city property. A separate investigation found Tammy DeBow violated department policy by sending profane and insulting messages to Reed from her husband’s phone.
Although investigators found policy violations, the reports concluded there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by any of the employees involved.
Surveillance Review Documents Repeated Meetings
According to the investigative files, Reed told investigators she and Keith DeBow had sex approximately three times while on duty inside a Knoxville Police Department relief trailer located at department facilities on Fifth Avenue.
She also acknowledged that the pair routinely met in a Special Operations Squad storage room. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from July through November 2024 and identified 37 instances in which Reed and DeBow entered the room together.
The report states that 20 of those incidents occurred while the two were on duty following roll call. Investigators concluded the pair engaged in what the report described as sexually gratifying activity for a combined total of more than eight hours.
The investigation also found Reed left her assigned patrol district without authorization on two occasions in October 2024 to visit DeBow at Parkwest Hospital.
As a result, investigators concluded Reed violated departmental policies involving sexual misconduct and unsatisfactory job performance.
Investigation Triggered By Complaint About Text Messages
A separate inquiry began after Reed reported receiving derogatory text messages in May 2025 from a contact listed in her phone as Lt. Keith DeBow.
Investigators determined the messages were actually sent by Capt. Tammy DeBow, who admitted using her husband’s phone while he was asleep. According to the report, Tammy DeBow told investigators she acted on advice from a therapist to write a letter expressing her feelings regarding the affair.
She reportedly believed Reed had blocked Keith DeBow’s number and would not receive the messages.
Investigators found that a superior officer sending profane and insulting messages to a subordinate violated department standards for conduct.
The report also examined an in-person confrontation between Reed and Tammy DeBow. During that encounter, investigators say Tammy DeBow told Reed, “I’ll bury you.”
While Reed alleged the captain moved a hand toward her holstered firearm during the exchange, investigators said they found no evidence supporting that claim. However, they concluded the statement could reasonably be interpreted as a threat to Reed’s career because of the difference in rank between the two employees.
Disciplinary Action Issued
Both Reed and Tammy DeBow received 120-hour suspensions without pay.
Investigators stated that Reed’s relationship with Keith DeBow raised concerns about favoritism, conflicts of interest and potential retaliation issues within the department. Tammy DeBow’s actions were also deemed inappropriate, particularly because she held the rank of captain at the time of the incident.
Keith DeBow was not disciplined as part of either investigation because he retired from the Knoxville Police Department in December 2024 before a formal internal complaint was filed.
Connection To Chief Paul Noel Investigation
The newly released files do not directly involve Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel. However, the findings come as Noel remains under scrutiny following a separate investigation into years of flirtatious and sometimes sexual text exchanges with Reed.
In that case, internal investigators described the communications as inappropriate. Reed was not disciplined over the texts with Noel and told investigators she felt pressured to respond to the chief’s advances because of his position within the department.
The records also note that Reed faced other disciplinary issues unrelated to workplace relationships. Investigators previously found she mishandled evidence on at least 20 occasions, prompting a broader audit of her evidence handling procedures.
The release of the files provides the most detailed look yet at the internal investigations that have fueled continuing controversy within the Knoxville Police Department and raised questions about professional conduct, supervisory relationships and accountability within the agency.
