Criminal Court judge candidate Boyd Patterson has been a friend of ours for many years. We are excited to be supporting him as a friend and campaign treasurer.
Boyd has the experience to serve in the position. He has litigated thousands of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to first-degree murder and has conducted more than 50 jury trials. He is the only candidate running who is a prosecutor. He has prosecuted crimes on behalf of victims, including domestic violence, gang cases and selected youth violence cases.
Boyd is passionate about understanding what motivates people to commit crimes and how to motivate these individuals to become productive members in our community. He was instrumental in supporting and organizing support for the Gang Task Force. He has helped to organize anti-gang public outreach events within our community and worked with the Juvenile Court judge and staff to implement prevention and intervention initiatives.
Boyd is innovative. He developed JuryStar, a nationally recognized iPad app; he has assisted in designing technology updates in criminal courtrooms which has actually helped to save taxpayer dollars; and he has created statewide online networks for trial development and for child abuse prosecutors.
Boyd has extensive knowledge of criminal law and truly cares about the crime in our community. He has written many publications, including a courtroom evidence manual which is used in criminal courts across Tennessee. Boyd has a Masters in Psychology was previously a counselor for delinquent/at-risk youth and continues to have a sincere interest in determining ways to turn their lives around.
We believe that Boyd Patterson is the best candidate for Hamilton County Criminal Court judge. With his experience, passion, innovation and knowledge, he will truly make positive changes within our community. We urge you to join us in voting for Boyd Patterson.
Kari and Jay Hudson
Chattanooga
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In response to Roy Exum’s article on “Criminal Court No Brainier,” I think Roy forgot to use his own brain before writing the article.
First, Roy's right – we have three excellent candidates running for the judgeship post. The public is fortunate that we have such fine men willing to put their names on the ballot. I've seen a lot of opinions for all three candidates, and everyone talks about their man being of high moral fiber. I'm sure Roy and the other letter writers are correct, the men running are good men of high character. But, let us dispense with the platitudes and folksy stories and cut to the chase of the problems here in Hamilton County.
Hamilton County is in the mists of a violent, bloody gang war. We have a murder, shooting, robbery or other violent crime - every single day. Just this week, a 16-year-old was just gunned down in East Ridge. Last week, we had a horrific double homicide that is believed to be a gang-related execution and was witnessed by a 5-year-old child. It's a bloodbath out there. We need a dedicated crime fighter on the Criminal Court bench.
The only candidate running for Criminal Court judge with real crime fighting experience is Boyd Patterson. Boyd's been prosecuting criminals for 12 years. He's literally put hundreds if not thousands of criminals behind bars. Boyd knows who the killers and rapist in this town are, and his experience as a prosecutor will help us put them behind bars.
As a crime fighter, Boyd has dedicated his career to punishing criminals and ensuring that justice for the victims and fairness to the accused have been upheld. Still, his crime fighting efforts didn't stop with his day job. He worked just as hard to prevent crime from occurring in the first place. Not just as the leader of the gang task force, but as a writer, educator and counselor. Boyd's service to our community is rooted in his desire for justice, law and order.
Fighting crime has been Boyd's ambition and his life's work. If you look into Boyd's background, even superficially, you will find a man who has dedicated his life to crime fighting. We need a dedicated crime fighter on the Criminal Court bench. That’s one of many reasons Boyd is the only candidate endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 673. They are the public servants fighting crime every day.
Which brings me back to Roy's no brainier comment – without thinking, Roy fell back to folksy wit and character platitudes and failed to think through our community’s real need – a dedicated crime fighter. That crime fighter is Boyd Patterson.
Doug Stephens
Signal Mountain
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I spent 26 years as a police officer. During the latter half of that career I had the opportunity to present my part of various cases to Boyd Patterson for prosecution. Through that experience, I found Boyd to be concerned with the truth and what was best resolution for all involved.
After his departure from the District Attorney’s office to the Gang Task Force, I saw his involvement in the development of methods to track individuals through gang affiliation coupled with the development of programs serving as an alternative to gang involvement. Boyd has also been involved from within the courts and outside the courts in addressing areas such as family violence, drug enforcement, truancy and mental health treatment.
These actions serve as proof of his dedication to improving our community from all angles. He has also developed methods to improve the efficiency of the courtroom through technology and I am confident that he would continue to implement ways to streamline the cumbersome processes of the court system.
My relationship with Boyd was always through the professional association between the police department and the District Attorney’s office. I encourage all those that do not know Boyd on any level to go to his website and see for yourself the credentials that, I believe, make Boyd Patterson the most qualified candidate for Criminal Court judge in Hamilton County.
Ed Duke
Chattanooga Police, retired