Chattanooga City Council Signs Off on Plan to Fight Crime, Gangs

Chattanooga city leaders back Mayor Andy Berke’s plan to fight crime, drugs, and gangs in the city.

There will be a new police academy, a crime-reduction study, and a top-to-bottom review of the police department.

48-new cadets will enter the police academy next month, while the crime-reduction study will translate High Point, North Carolina’s plan to combat gangs into something workable for Chattanooga.

Under that plan, police make direct contact with known gang leaders and give them a chance to put away their guns, before they face prosecution.