Recently, Pineville Mayor Scott Madon filled two positions within the Pineville Police Department and one of those positions was filled by longtime Pineville Police Officer Kyle Dunn.

“Bill Matthews retired earlier this year and I was interim until they made it official,” Chief Dunn explained. “Before I was chief, I was sergeant for quite a few years, and I was assistant chief for a few years. After Matthews retired, I got moved to chief and Curtis Pingleton was named assistant in my spot.”

Dunn laughed and explained that the day after he was sworn in by Mayor Madon was when the straight line winds and strong rains came through Pineville and ripped roofs off buildings and tore trees down.

“It was a crazy 24 hours,” he said. “But it really was an honor to step into the role of chief because Scott Madon is a really good boss. He’s really good to work for and to be somebody that represents him, it makes you feel that all the work you’ve put it has went toward something.”

Dunn’s law enforcement career started in 2007.

“I didn’t know I was interested in law enforcement until I was older,” he explained. “Nobody in my family has ever been in law enforcement, so I didn’t really have a point of view of it. After I became friends with Shane (Stewart) and he worked here as an officer, and then was promoted to sergeant, I would come down here and talk with him and thought I would really like to do that.”

He said that his ultimate goal every day is to make the community better.

“It should be in the job description and in our policy,” Dunn said. “Make your community better. You really get to make a difference and you are doing something. It is rewarding. It’s not like you are just pushing papers and doing the same thing every day. You get a good feeling about it, especially when you are getting something done.”

Dunn takes the job seriously but still enjoys what he does.

“I enjoy what I do,” he explained. “I feel like everybody at the department enjoys what they do and enjoys helping people. They don’t necessarily enjoy taking anybody to jail, but they enjoy changing a tire, getting school supplies and doing Shop with a Cop.”

Shop with a Cop is an annual event, and Dunn said that the officers don’t get paid for the time that they spend at the event but every officer still shows up and is part of the day.

Dunn graduated from Bell County High School and attended the Department of Criminal Justice Training in 2007 before going to work for Pineville Police Department. He spent two years working as a deputy at the Bell County Sheriff’s Office before returning to Pineville.

He is the son of Richard and Jenny Dunn and is married to Toni Hatfield Dunn and he has one son, Jack.

“We are here if the community needs us,” he said. “That is what we are here for, to help them. That is our job — to help and make the community a better place to live.”

You can follow the Pineville Police Department on Facebook and if you need to contact them you can call 606-337-2345.