Hamilton County commissioners debate appropriate crime response
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Crime in downtown Chattanooga continues to be a hot topic in the wake of recent incidents.
On Wednesday, the Hamilton County Commission took their swing at the issue.
Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett told the Commission, “I took action. I don’t have the funding in my overtime budget to cover this long term, but I’ll find a way to make it work.”
In a last-minute resolution, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp and Sheriff Austin Garrett were able to secure $180,000 in funding for the additional patrols by sheriff’s deputies announced last week.
These patrols were announced in the aftermath of the murder of Chris Wright outside of Patten Towers late last month.
The funding will come from tax revenue generated by the county’s motel and hotel tax, which the county decided to retain two million dollars annually in a controversial move at the time in June.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said, “We felt like the item has a sense of urgency attached to it.”
This extra funding from the hotel and motel tax will go to patrol areas in the central business district of downtown.
However, questions were raised if other areas are being ignored due to recent events in downtown.
Hamilton County Commissioner for District 4, Warren Mackey, said, “It was asked of me, why in Avondale there was four shootings and one downtown, and the focus is downtown?”
Sheriff Garrett argues the increased patrols are more than warranted, referencing his deputies already recovering a stolen vehicle and helping end a pursuit downtown in the last week.
He said, “I was stopped by at least 15 people Friday Night thanking us for being down here. Some local, some not, one homeless person stopped me and thanked me.”
Related to the crime discussion was a resolution to move the FUSE program, which tries to help offenders with mental health issues avoid re-incarceration, from the purview of the Sheriff’s Office to the county’s Department of Economic and Community Development.
Data presented to the commission showed that out of the 31 clients placed in the FUSE program, which started last year, early results seem to be positive.
Chris Delmas of the Hamilton County Sheriff Office’s Grants Department said, “Folks are going to at least Erlanger Hospital and interacting with the Erlanger Hospital system and the hospital system, less after enrollment and we are finding that the recidivism rates are also going down.”
The move according to the county will help get the program more funding.
