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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville Police Department captain and a patrol officer received unpaid suspensions this spring after an internal investigation showed one of them had carried on an affair with the other’s husband, engaging in conduct that violated the department’s code of conduct, records show.
KPD’s review of the actions of Capt. Tammy DeBow and Officer Jasmine Reed found no criminal wrongdoing, but it resulted in 120-hour suspensions for each. Keith DeBow, with whom Reed had an approximately three-month relationship, retired as a lieutenant before the affair was discovered. He faced no punishment.
The investigation turned up surveillance video of the older male lieutenant and female patrol officer entering a supply closet dozens of times, and also resulted in the admission of the two having intimate relations while on duty. The investigation also revealed a threat from the female captain to the patrol officer and a string of insulting text messages.
“It’s very personal in nature, and obviously, I believe the young lady that was the offending officer and Captain BeBow have moved forward and moved on from this,” T. Scott Jones, Capt. DeBow’s attorney, said. “From Captain DeBow’s point, she’s planning on going forward and continuing the many years of service that she’s had with the city of Knoxville.”
“Officer Reed regrets her part in all of this,” Don Bosch, Reed’s attorney, said. “She is a good officer and has accepted the administrative consequences imposed. She has put this matter behind her and has no further comment at this time.”
“Our Office of Professional Standards conducted a thorough investigation into this matter,” Chief of Police Paul Noel said in a statement to WBIR. “Both employees acknowledged that they fell short of our expectations as an organization, accepted responsibility for their actions and were disciplined in accordance with departmental guidelines.”
In late May 2025, Knoxville patrol officer Jasmine Reed reported receiving a series of insulting text messages from a phone number belonging to retired KPD Lt. Keith DeBow. Records show Reed had had an affair with Lt. DeBow the year before.
“I just want it to stop, I don’t want anyone to get in trouble,” Reed said during questioning.
The messages included insults such as: “I absolutely hate your guts”, “You suck,” and “Lose some weight fatty.”
Reed reported the messages to supervisors, saying, “cause if this keeps going on… I’ll have to file harassment charges.”
An internal investigation later determined the messages were sent by Capt. Tammy DeBow, Keith DeBow’s wife. During questioning, the captain acknowledged sending them.
Capt. DeBow told investigators she believed her husband had blocked Reed and did not intend for Reed to see the messages, describing them as a way to vent.
During the investigation, Reed disclosed she had an affair with Keith DeBow that ended months before the texts were sent.
“What I did was wrong, what I participated in, I’d be mad too. But just, it’s been a long time,” Reed said.
Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage and found Reed and the lieutenant entered a department storage closet 37 times between late July and late October 2024, sometimes staying up to 30 minutes.
When questioned about entering the supply closet, Reed told KPD leadership they’d ‘just talk’. When asked further, she said, “I mean, we’d make out and stuff too.”
Reed further told investigators the two had around three sexual encounters while on duty in a KPD camper, sometimes used by SWAT members.
By the time the investigation began, Keith DeBow had already retired. When contacted by department investigators, he confirmed the affair but declined to discuss details of the relationship.
“I’m not getting into any of that. … the personal relationship with her,” he said in a phone call, recorded and part of the investigation. “I didn’t do anything wrong, well, I had an inappropriate relationship with her”.
Reed also alleged Capt. DeBow threatened her during an on-duty encounter, claiming the captain placed a hand on her service weapon and said she would “bury” her. Investigators said they could not substantiate the claim about the gun. Capt. DeBow was not wearing a body camera, and Reed turned hers off, records show.
“My first question, just right outta the gate, was, ‘Did you have sex with my husband?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ And I said, ‘So … where’d you have sex at?’” Capt. DeBow said during questioning. “She looked at me and said, ‘No, your house,’ … And so I immediately was like, ‘What? I will bury you. Are you kidding me?’”
The investigation concluded in February. Capt. DeBow was disciplined for unbecoming conduct and for canceling Reed’s dispatch to a call to a response to avoid Reed. Reed was cited for sexual misconduct and unsatisfactory performance.