Director of Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Tapped to Lead World’s Largest Union for Police Leaders

Tom Pappert
David Rausch

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) on Tuesday announced that Director David Rausch was sworn in as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the world’s largest organization for police leaders.

Rausch continues to serve as the TBI’s director, and the state law enforcement agency wrote in a Tuesday post to X that his position at the IACP was an honor for the TBI and the state of Tennessee. TBI additionally uploaded images showing Rausch receiving the organization’s oath of office during its ceremony in Denver.

A biography of the director has been added to the IACP website, noting that Rausch has spent 31 years working in law enforcement, including 25 years at the Knoxville Police Department, and previously served in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps. Rausch has served as the director of TBI since his appointment by former Governor Bill Haslam in 2018.

Founded in 1893 and headquartered in Virginia, the IAPC website states that the group boasts more than 35,000 members across 170 countries and has partnered with various nonprofits and government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of State, and Department of Transportation.

One partnership between IAPC and the DOJ was renewed in 2024, allowing police officers to receive training to become researchers in the field of law enforcement. The program reported more than 130 graduates of the instruction offered by IAPC and the DOJ.

Rausch made headlines last year, when he warned the Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), was present and operating in all of Tennessee’s major cities. He later doubled down after police contradicted his report, stating that the gang’s operations see individual members move throughout the Volunteer State.

Shortly after entering office earlier this year, President Donald Trump designated TdA a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). Hundreds of TdA members were deported to El Salvador earlier this year, and more recently were repatriated to their homeland as a result of trilateral negotiations between the Trump administration, El Salvador, and Venezuela.

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “David Rausch” by TBI. 

 

 

 

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