Mayor Tim Kelly said in the coming weeks, the city will release a three-part plan "to comprehensively address gun violence in Chattanooga, which will include evidence-based initiatives at the individual, community, and city government levels to help create a safer city."
He added, "At the individual level, the city will engage residents on basic steps they can take now to help keep guns out of the hands of kids.
"Initiatives at the community level will focus on strategies to keep city youth safe and off the streets, including unprecedented investments in youth mentorship and social development programs, as well as extended hours and youth programming at local community centers.
"And at the city-government level, the Kelly administration will continue the robust initiatives it launched over the last year to address the root causes of gun violence, including lack of adequate housing, poverty, and opportunity gaps.
This includes initiatives such as the Community Forward schools initiative, funding for the Construction Academy, and the mayor’s $100 million affordable housing initiative. The city plans to engage the community in the coming weeks to ensure that resident input is reflected in the plan as it’s being finalized.
“The fact that innocent teens were senselessly gunned down on our streets is flatly unacceptable, and I have directed my staff to step up efforts to both continue addressing the root causes of this violence, as well as provide more immediate solutions to keep our community safe. From keeping our community centers open later to educating residents on how to keep their guns locked up, as well as increasing youth mentorship programs across the city, there is more we can and must do.”
As part of the city’s stepped-up efforts, additional officers have been deployed to the Riverbend Festival this weekend to support an enhanced police presence that will include Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies, CPD officers, and private security patrolling both inside and outside the venue. Officials have also deployed numerous security cameras, and there will be security checkpoints at all admission points.
Police Chief Celeste Murphy said, “While I can’t get into details on an ongoing, active investigation, I want to emphasize the importance of keeping firearms out of the hands of our teens, and I would ask parents to remain vigilant about where their kids are, and who they’re spending time with. Tackling our gun violence epidemic will require everyone in our community to pitch in and do their part to keep our children safe.”
She said year to date, both homicides and non-fatal shootings in Chattanooga are down by half. The city has suffered six homicides so far in 2022, compared to 12 during the same period in 2021. And there have been 21 non-fatal shootings so far this year, compared to 54 during the same period last year, according to Chattanooga Police Department records.