Chattanooga Police Department
1980 – Economic pressures affected not only the community but the police department. Officer’s
order to part cars for 10 minutes every shift to conversa gas. 7 cars per shift.
April 1980 – 5 elderly black women were wounded by shotgun blast while standing on the sidewalk
on East North St.
 Shooters had ties to the Ku Klux Klan.
 Three months later, after a weeklong trial, two of the defendants were acquitted of all charges
and a third was convicted of a reduced charge.
 12 hours later riots broke out in Alton Park – rocks, bottles and fire booms.
 The riots lasted for 3 days ending after polices were ambushed by shotgun fire.
 Pellets wounds, no one killed. SWAT was extracted, the streets settled ending in over 350, 000
in property loss.
Over the 15 years CPD went through 7 police chiefs. In 1983 Eugene McCutcheon was appointed
chief, PD had a major organization in efforts to put more portal on the streets. Four sectors were
combined into two. Rank were abolished Supervisors to Patrol Officers. Lieutenants to Sergeants and
so on.
 Due to unfavorable policy liked mandatory drug testing, which was halted after the judge ruled
that the policy violated Fourth Amendment protections May 1989. CPD had problems keeping
chief in office.
 The first black Chief was appointed August 1089, he was well liked by staff and the
community, and served well. He died in 1995, after fight against cancer.
June 12th, 2014, Fred Fletcher was sworn in as the Chief of Police.
 Chief Fletcher brought experience to Chattanooga as well as his own personal philosophies on
effective policing including the importance of victim-centered, trauma-informed care.
 Built the City’s first-ever Victim Services Unit while also dramatically reducing overall crime
citywide.
 Chief Fletcher also embraced progressive ideas and technology while building a Real Time
Intelligence Center, creating groundbreaking diversity programs, deploying body worn
cameras along with a model policy, developing a gun crime network with federal partners, and
many other exciting developments.
July 6th, 2010, Bobby H. Dodd for Police Chief.
 Chief Dodd made an immediate impact in the area of Gangs by tripling the size of his Crime
Suppression Unit and reinforcing Patrol numbers from other divisions to focus on calls for
service.
January 11, 2007, ceremony for Freeman Cooper, who became Chattanooga's 26th Chief of Police
 Chief Cooper was best known for his renewed focus on addressing juvenile and gang related
crimes.
In January of 2004, Steve Parks (who had been serving as Deputy Chief of Investigations) to be
Chattanooga's new Chief.
 He reorganized the command structure of the Administration, creating an Executive Chief to
oversee the day-to-day running of the department. Reporting directly to the Executive Chief
were the Deputy Chief of Administration and Support, and the Deputy Chief of Operations--the
combination of what was formerly the Uniform Services and Investigative Services Commands
of Police
In 1997, J. L. Dotson was appointed Chief of Police.
 Dotson had the entire police manual was reviewed and re-written and Improvement of the
department's outdated computer system.
 March of 2001 the Chattanooga Police Department was officially Accredited by CALEA (the
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies), thus placing it in the top three
percentile of police agencies nationwide. As a standard the CPD will be reviewed every three
years in order to retain our accreditation.
Chattanooga police department office of community outreach
The Chattanooga Citizens Police community outreach was established to bridge the gap between
the citizens of Chattanooga and the police department. The outreach is organized by volunteerism
from qualified citizens and polices officers to meet specific need of the community.
Chattanooga police department's chaplain corps
 The purpose of the volunteer Chaplain program is to maintain a core group of ordained
ministers, from a variety of faiths, who volunteer their time and talents to assist the criminal
justice system in meeting the spiritual needs of CPD officers, employees and Chattanooga
citizens.
 Volunteer Chaplains support the community and lighten the burden of police officers by
performing various tasks of a spiritual nature
 The volunteer Police Chaplain consists of a highly trained team of faith leaders who serve CPD
officers and their family members. Chaplains may also support victims of crime and their
families. Chaplains do not enforce the law, carry weapons or make arrests.
The Chattanooga citizens police academy
 Was started in 1999, in an effort to create positive interaction and communication between the
Chattanooga Police Department and the citizens it serves.
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The Citizen's Academy is a nine-week Law Enforcement Education program that provides an
accurate look at Police Work and the Criminal Justice System.
The academy meets one day a week from 6-8 p.m. at the PD Training facility.
The program offers information, interactive activities and shared dialogue with the Department
and its officers.
Students receive (but are not authorized to use) instruction, conduct and training in numerous
police-related subjects.
A graduation Ceremony is held at its conclusion, with increase alumni interest in the academy.
Citizen’s Police Academy Subject Highlights:
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Organizational
structure of the cpd
Rank structure and
recognition
Goals & objectives of
the cpd
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Patrol function
Crime prevention laws
governing the use of
force
Defensive tactics
Swat
(CRASE) Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events
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Hostage negotiation
Internal affairs
Citizens police alumni
association
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Consist of Law enforcement officers and agencies are frequently requested by schools,
businesses, and community members for direction and presentations on what they should do
if confronted with an active shooter event.
The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) course, designed and built on the
Avoid, Deny Defend (ADD) strategy developed by ALERRT in 2004, provides strategies,
guidance and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event.
Topics include the history and prevalence of active shooter events, civilian response options,
medical issues, and considerations for conducting drills.
Participants in this four (4) hour Train-the-Trainer course will receive a manual and
PowerPoint presentation suitable for use in their own presentations.
The Explorer Program
 Is an official program of the Chattanooga Police Department, designed by the Boy Scouts of
America to expose young men and women (ages 13-21) to the vast career choices available
in law enforcement today.
 Many of our alumni have continued their career path to successfully achieve positions in local,
state and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
 Explorers learn in both classroom and field environments, including actual "hands-on" field
experience. Weekly meeting presentations include training on Police duties, self-defense and
investigations.
 Explorers also attend Explorer competitions every year. Knoxville, TN, Las Vegas, NV and
Gatlinburg, TN are some of the cities we compete in.
 Explorers are invited to participate in our ride-along program. Members are allowed to ride
with a patrol officer and respond to calls
The Ride Along Program
 Was implemented by the Chattanooga Police Department effort to encourage community
interest and involvement in the law enforcement process. It allows citizens to observe the
activities and procedures that are involved in the daily duties of patrol officers.
 It is, therefore, the policy of the Chattanooga Police Department to allow citizens to ride as
passengers in the departmental vehicles to observe police officers engaged in the
performance of their duties.
Neighborhood Watch
 A neighborhood watch program is a group of people living in the same area who want to make
their neighborhood safer by working together and in conjunction with local law enforcement to
reduce crime and improve their quality of life. Neighborhood watch groups have regular
meetings to plan how they will accomplish their specific goals and leaders with assigned
responsibilities.
 Neighborhood watch is homeland security at the most local level. It is an opportunity to
volunteer and work towards increasing the safety and security of our homes and our
homeland. Neighborhood watch empowers citizens and communities to become active in
emergency preparedness, as well as the fight against crime and community disasters.
 A neighborhood watch group may be organized by an existing neighborhood association, but
the key element is its relationship with local law enforcement
Victim Services
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The overall goal of the Victim Services Unit for the Chattanooga Police Department is to
partner with officers, investigators, and community stakeholders to create a network of care
and support for victims of crime in our City.
Victims of crimes and survivors that need have access to support services that address their
psychological and emotional needs, as well as have their safety concerns addressed are
provided with direct service provision, continued follow-up care and advocacy, criminal justice
support, and community agency referrals.
Services Provided by the VSU:
 Follow-up Support
& Advocacy
 Safety Planning
 Social Service
Assessment &
Planning
 Criminal Justice
Support and
Advocacy
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Court
Accompaniment
Crisis Counseling
& Intervention
Information &
Referral
Filing Assistance
for TN Criminal
Injuries
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Compensation
Program
Community
Outreach
First Responder
Training
On-Scene
Response
Dragonfly Community Connect
 Dragonfly Community Connect is an innovative new initiative that allows you to link your
company’s compatible, cloud-based security cameras with the CPD's Real-Time Intelligence
Center for enhanced public safety.
 Companies can partner with the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) to enhance the
security of your business while also helping to protect your neighbors.
 Dragonfly connect works by a company installing a compatible security camera system, that
can authorize the CPD to proactively access some or all of the cameras in responding to
suspicious activity or crime in your area.
 Dragonfly Community Connect gives us rapid access to your camera footage when it counts. It
can also provide us with the leads we need to rapidly solve any crimes that take place at your
business locations and in the surrounding areas.
Benefits companies and neighbors receive from participants
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Expert guidance for camera installation: When you join Dragonfly, Community Connect
before your security system is installed, CPD will work with your provider to ensure your
cameras are positioned and angled for maximum security.
Enhanced security: Help prevent and solve crimes at your business location and the
surrounding area.
Giving you the power to monitor your facilities: With the cloud-based security cameras
compatible with Dragonfly Community Connect, you can use an app to monitor all of your
installed camera feeds wherever you are using your computer, smart phone, or other smart
devices.
Legislators File Bill To Allow First Responders To Live Where They Choose
 On Wednesday, January 6, 2021 State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) on Wednesday
filed SB0029 which would allow first responders to live where they choose. The bill would ban
residency requirements statewide for police officers and firefighters.
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Senator Kelsey says the bill is a matter of public safety and will allow police and fire
departments to recruit top tier first responder candidates, regardless of where they live. The
lawmaker says, in particular, it will help Tennessee address a deficit of police officers occurring
throughout the country.
Police Advisory and Review Committee ordinance
 Police Advisory and Review Committee is looking for 21 to 40 years old, Volunteers who's
lived in Chattanooga ten years or more and has a proven record of serving the community
to serve on the 9-member board.
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The board will be tasked with reviewing citizen complaints against the Chattanooga Police
Department,
“ for incidents like one where body cam video showed an officer repeatedly punching
a man as he was on the ground.”
The committee will have a chance to say we respect you, but we are going to make sure you're
doing your job
the group will be going through training with police, including ride along, to get familiar with
policies and procedures.
The Mayor goals for the PARC while in office are:
 Give authority of the civilian police oversight board and review committee to civilians and not
the police chief.
 2) Increase amount of black officers to reflect the community. Currently we need an over 100
percent increase to meet this standard.
 3) Increase first responders salaries to help recruit more candidates with College
educations. Require officers to take additional College courses in ethics and African American
studies. Increase in pay will also help retain the best and brightest cops and boost morale and
performance.
 4) Take some funding out of intelligence and narcotics and invest it into preventative and
proactive measures focused on community policing.