After doing online research, I am highly disappointed that the Chattanooga Police Department was not ranked as the best in the world, or even in the United States. Upon narrowing down my search to the highest ranked policed departments in the United States, the CPD failed to list within the top 20. Learning of this not only breaks my heart with disappointment, many questions came to mind.
First, is it because the city of Chattanooga is not as populous as other ranked cities? Or, maybe it’s because the crime level and criminal activity is not as high as other ranked cities? Should media outlets highlight the good work accomplished by the city police? Should the CPD blow their trumpet through other means?
You might be thinking why I have so much interest in the Chattanooga Police Department, or what makes me think that the CPD should be ranked as not only the best in America, but also in the world. Some that know me might think “maybe it’s because he was once a Chattanooga police officer.” Others may even think that this is just a biased generalization.
The fact remains that I have completed a vast amount of rigorous training in many parts of the world, including the military, law enforcement, and civilian training. This also includes the Chattanooga Police Academy training on tactical, defense, community policing, de-escalation, counter-terrorism etc.
Although I am an American citizen, most people still see me African, rather than “African American” or “Black.” As such, my perspective as a black man from Africa, might be a little unbiased, and dare I say more respected, as I emigrated into the U.S. as an adult from Nigeria, West Africa with a sense of neutral judgment, unbiased analysis and sound interpretations on Chattanooga Police Department.
In addition to all the aforementioned factors, the training and experience I had with the Chattanooga Police Department single-handedly got me a related job with a federal government agency in Washington, DC. Not just any job, but a highly competitive one that includes law enforcement examinations only open to those with law enforcement experience. During training, It was a surprise to my colleagues, both current and ex-law enforcement officers from New York City, California, Metro police and other federal law enforcement agencies, that I actually graduated from the Chattanooga Police Academy - of which I was not the best student from that class. My success in my new job role with the federal government is directly contributed to my combined training with the CPD and graduate school program with the University of Tennessee.
I will highlight one out of many instances of the exemplar training that was executed on behalf of the Chattanooga Police Department. On July 16, 2015, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on two military installations in Chattanooga where he was killed by police in a gunfight, after killing four Marines. Upon my examination of CPD’s response to this incident, I can affirm that there was no better way that any other police department in the world could have responded to a terror attack situation like this, better than the Chattanooga Police Department.
During my time with the CPD I was faced with one of the greatest challenges of my life - my character, integrity and professionalism that was imbibed in me by the department has seen me through and saved me from a nefarious domestic partner. However, that was not the first time CPD officers training reflects and helps with their personal life challenges. Unfortunately, I didn’t stay for too long with CPD as a result of family reasons. As family comes first in whatever we are doing.
As you have read, my time with the Chattanooga Police Department has not only given me the upmost training, but has opened the door to a successful career in law enforcement. I will suggest that other police departments use the CPD as a gold standard in training their police officers. Other departments, especially in Tennessee, should take advantage of the proximity of the CPD academy and take some classes with the Chattanooga Police department, specifically on community policing and de-escalation. The CPD also has the potential to influence larger jurisdictions such as Atlanta Police Department, although it is located in a different state.
In conclusion, I will urge the governor of the state of Tennessee, as well as the federal government, to look into the outstanding work that the Chattanooga Police Department and its academy training department is doing. I will also recommend them for awards.
Lastly, I believe that the Chattanooga Police Department not only deserves to rank high within the United States, but it should also be rated high in the world.
Abiodun Ramon Oseni