A former Chattanooga police officer convicted of shaking down Hispanic motorists and taking their money is Knoxville Area Transit's new safety supervisor.









O'Dell Draper III, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate civil rights in 2006 and served 18 months in a federal prison. He was released in December 2007 and was hired as a driver at KAT the following year.









In 2013, he was promoted to a dispatcher and started his new role on Monday.









Dawn Distler, director of transit, said in a statement Tuesday she stands behind Draper, who has been an “exemplary employee.”









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