Late Thursday afternoon, the Chattanooga City Attorney’s Office filed a legal action challenging the recent order by an administrative law judge regarding the reinstatement of former city police officers Sean Emmer and Adam Cooley.
“We have reviewed the ALJ’s ruling and contend that these two officers were not in compliance with the City’s policies and procedures on use of force. Pursuant to TCA 4-5-322, we have requested the circuit court to issue a stay of the ALJ’s order as we present the City’s case,” said City Attorney Wade Hinton.
Both Mayor Andy Berke and Police Chief Bobby Dodd have publicly spoken out against the ALJ ruling. On Sept. 30, Mayor Berke stated he “stands with Chief Dodd on his decision to terminate the officers’ employment. We must maintain the trust of our community, and I will not allow the actions of a few to tarnish the good work of so many officers who do their jobs the right way every day” and he ordered the City Attorney’s office to appeal the decision on the first eligible day - Oct 10.
The action was filed in Circuit Court and assigned to Judge Neil Thomas.