Chief Fred Fletcher addresses City Council
Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher told the City Council on Tuesday that police have recently made a total of 174 arrests, 44 of which were gang members.
Chief Fletcher said that the jails are “very, very full right now,” and that officers are patrolling “aggressively and in force.” As many as 19 guns have been taken off the street.
The Chattanooga Police Department has partnered with the FBI, DEA, TBI, and Hamilton County to combat the recent surge of gang violence in Chattanooga. Chief Fletcher said that the partners have been a great help. TBI has sent in gang officers and analysts. The DEA has also committed all of its resources to the effort.
“Your police officers are doing as much as their energy and their numbers will allow,” said Chief Fletcher, though he said the effort could not be sustained at that level without additional resources.
The community has also played a vital role in locating gang activity, he said. Some of the recent arrests were made because of community tips, and Chief Fletcher said that more tips have been coming in this week.
“Like the mayor said last night, we will not relent,” he said.