Press Releases

Chattanooga Police charge a man in connection with a drug overdose that occurred on March 11, 2021 at a residence in the 2800 block of East 26th St. Lafredrick Sails (39) is charged with Second Degree Murder, Sale and Delivery of Drugs for Resale, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. He was booked at the Hamilton County Jail on March 25, 2021.

On March 19, 2021 at approximately 10:11 a.m., Chattanooga Police responded to the 3600 block of Premium Drive on a report of a Domestic Disorder. The following are the preliminary facts of the investigation:

On March 18, 2021 at approximately 12:06 p.m., Chattanooga Police Traffic Division responded to a vehicle crash in the 700 block of South Orchard Knob Ave. The following was determined through interview, observation, and investigation:

Update: Chattanooga Police have arrested a party in the July 13, 2018 incident in which a body was found in the 2500 block of Laura Street and later determined to be a Homicide. The suspect is Vincent Nash (54) and he is charged with 1st Degree Murder, Especially Aggravated Robbery and Abuse Of A Corpse. He is currently at the Hamilton County jail.

The Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) achieves a major goal set nearly seven years ago to identify and attract diverse candidates to join its ranks and match the city's racial demographics.

The racial demographics of CPD's current academy, Class 2021-1, mirrors the city of Chattanooga's White, Black, and Brown community members. The cadets of CPD Class 2021-1 who started the 22-week academy on March 12, 2021 is 54% White, 34% Black, and 8% Hispanic. Most recent census data (ACS 2019) shows the city of Chattanooga as 57% White, 31% Black, and 6% Hispanic.

The police hiring process is complex, but CPD is committed to cultivating an inclusive workforce. Rather than waiting for people with more varied backgrounds to apply, the Department has and continues to seek these individuals. This includes a commitment to standardized, transparent, and participatory recruiting. The CPD Administration and Recruiting Unit have worked to shorten and streamline the hiring process, posted an example of the required written test online, and incentivized current officers as well as community members to recruit minority candidates through its Each One Reach One initiative. In fact, current CPD Officers have proven to be the Department's top recruiters of minority candidates with most of the $500 EORO incentives going to officers.

"The Chattanooga Police Department as a whole has worked diligently for years now to become more diverse and I couldn't be more proud of the efforts," said Chief David Roddy. "From the Recruiting Unit's strategies to reach diverse candidates, to officer's throughout the department taking initiative to encourage and support prospective candidates, to the leadership, amongst all ranks, continuing its commitment to invest in community relationships, we are starting to see the result we've been striving for and that our community members have asked for."

While CPD is taking the time to mark this milestone, there is much more work to be done including striving to achieve this same goal with our next academy which begins in August. Applications are being accepted and more information the hiring process, requirements, and testing dates can be obtained at https://chattanooga.gov/police-department/employmentrecruitment.

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