Members of the Regular Grand Jury in a final report recommended that grand juror tours resume of the Silverdale Jail, the Juvenile Detention Center and CADAS.
The tours were halted during the COVID epidemic.
Jimmy Anderson is the foreman of the Regular Grand Jury.
Here is the final report:
The Grand Jury was comprised of a variety of diversity from all areas of Hamilton County. We worked very well together and were always able to discuss some of the more difficult cases with a unanimous decision. During the term, 379 cases were presented to the Regular Grand Jury. The Grand Jury returned 327 true bills, 50 presentments, and two no bills.
The Grand Jurors were very appreciative for the insightful expertise of the Assistant District Attorney, Jerry Sloan. Jimmy Anderson, the Grand Jury Foreman, helped us navigate through the process effortlessly. Mr. Anderson started each day with an ice breaker every morning (What world problem are we going to solve today) this helped to build camaraderie amongst the jurors. We would like to thank Sgt. April Bolton for presenting cases during the down time. Although they were not her cases, she made sure we had a good understanding of the events that took place.
The jurors had a pleasant and mostly positive experience overall. While serving most everyone commented how much they learned and what a great experience it was to learn about our Judicial system, law enforcement as well as our community as well as some surrounding areas.
Below are a few observations on the experience of serving on the Hamilton County Regular Grand Jury:
· Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the juvenile detention center facility, CADAS and the Silverdale Workhouse due to COVID restrictions. The tour would have provided better understanding of how these facilities work and a closer perception of what has been done to help the defendants overcome their problems and/or addictions.
· We appreciate the courtesy of the officers and detectives who came before us to present their cases. They all (mostly) made good efforts to answer any question we might ask, and never made any attempt to influence our viewpoints beyond presenting the facts. The same is to be said of our DA Jerry Sloan and Jimmy Anderson Jury Foreman.
· We have a better understanding of how the court system and the process work.
· We don’t feel like all cases should be handed over to the Grand Jury, such as DUI cases. The law on DUI cases is clear cut from the first DUI to the fourth. Sending these cases to the Grand Jury appears to create a backlog in more serious cases.
· Continue bringing the Judges in to speak with the Grand Jury, it’s very beneficial.
· We feel it would be more beneficial to find a way to have a more diverse representation of the community.
There were several guest speakers that addressed the grand jury. Judge Greenholtz addressed us with our responsibilities as the Grand Jury. He also thanked us for serving. Judge Greenholtz revisited the Grand Jury to give us more information about the Drug Court and his courtroom and made sure we understood the first political principle is liberty regardless of race, class, gender, etc. Judge Poole talked to us about the Mental Health court and how it connects to some cases and the benefits of the program to try and assist defendant with rehabilitation. Judge Steelman thanked us for our services and commitment to Hamilton County. Judge Steelman was very informative on fines, court cost, why some cases are delayed longer that others. We also had the pleasure of being introduced to the cold case team as well as District Attorney Neal Pinkston. The cold case team presented very detailed information about their case. We would like to thank all our guest speakers for their time, the information given and answering our questions.
Testimony is given by officers and detectives from varying law enforcement agencies. They are very willing to answer our questions to help us understand the law and why an arrest was made in a professional manner. In some cases, it was noted that most of the officers have been very detailed. We would like to impress of all the officers that the more we know, the more likely we are to return a True Bill. Also, knowing that much time may have passed since the incident. It would be beneficial to read over your statement and refresh your memory before presenting to the Grand Jury. The officers must keep in mind someone else may have to present their case to the Grand Jury. The power is in the Details. Have one person represent the County Sheriff department, East Ridge Police etc. – like Sgt. April Bolton does for the Chattanooga Police Department. This may help speed up the process and free up the officers to be on duty or take their day off as scheduled. With that being said the officers should be offered a class on how to present a case to the Grand Jury.
It is important for the Grand Jury to be given a clear and concise understanding of the law. The law is not something that is in the wheel house of the Grand Jurors. We relied on the Jury Foreman and the Assistant District Attorney to interpret the cases for us. We would like to recommend a chart/table of charges (Felonies, Misdemeanor etc.) prioritized by the consequence for the Grand Jury to have in hand. This may keep some repetitive questions from being asked.
The scheduling of the cases could be handled much better with today’s technology. There are two Grand juries that meet every other week for two days each week. Some of the jurors have concerns about the amount of time wasted for witnesses and the officers that must wait an enormous amount of time on their days off or after coming off third shift.
At times it was difficult to hear the presentation when there were conversations coming from other parts of the room. Some of us also had difficulty watching the visual aids. The Television should be placed in a central location since the room is set up in a U shape.
· Bring back the tours to the prison, Juvenile facility, etc, this will give a good perspective of what our officers deal with.
· Allow an afternoon for Drug or Gang Enforcement Officers to come speak to the Jurors about the nature of those elements in Chattanooga and surrounding areas and where we are in reducing crime related to those events in Chattanooga
· Make it work out that the teachers can keep their pay or use it for their classroom as they are underfunded.
· Make the drug court program and the mental health program public or more public so that people know what is offered in hopes of getting donations and/or volunteers. There should be more PR put out for these programs.
· Offer a Time slot for officers to sign up for their time with the Grand Jury.
· A new water fountain or water service (the jugs that have hot or cold water).
· Find a way to have a more diverse representation of the community, this may include increasing the Jury duty pay to at least $20-$25.
· More funding for the DA’s office and Public Defenders offices to help keep up with the cases and avoid backlog.
· Give our officers a raise! They deal with stressful situations and risk their lives.