Coalition seeks tougher laws for violent crime

Video: Tougher penalties for criminals

Tennessee prosecutors and police officials said Wednesday that tougher sentences are needed to reduce crime.

The state’s Public Safety Coalition told the Times Free Press editorial board that they are pushing legislation this year to eliminate parole for aggravated battery and to strengthen the existing DUI laws. Despite budget concerns, the group also wants staff additions for district attorney offices across Tennessee and new rules to curb the growing number of copper and precious metal thefts.

Hamilton County District Attorney Bill Cox said many of their recommendations are focused upon repeat violent offenders, who he said have helped push Tennessee’s violent crime rate to the second highest among the states in 2005 and 2006, according to FBI figures.

“Those that involve gun crimes, those that involve group crimes are of course aimed at those who are the most dangerous,” said Hamilton County District Attorney Bill Cox.

Violent crimes were more frequent only in South Carolina, FBI figures show. Of 325 metropolitan areas across the country, Chattanooga ranked 59th in its rate of violent crime.

Violent crimes include murder, forcible rape, aggravated assault and non-negligent manslaughter.

Memphis District Attorney Bill Gibbons, whose metro area saw 1,262.7 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2006, said the coalition consistently promotes legislation to deter crime. But he said the group’s proposals often are deferred because of their estimated cost for extra jails, staff and other expenses.

Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, a member of the Finance Committee, said lawmakers face “a very tight budget” this year.

“Things we’d like to do that would be really good for Tennessee and Tennesseans, we just don’t have the money to do,” he said. “Now whether this falls into that category of things, I won’t know until the funding board meets in April and we kind of have a real idea of what finances we have for next year.”

The coalition members think tougher punishments, such as eliminating parole, will reduce crime because criminals will spend more time in prison and may be deterred by harsher sentences.

Coalition Chairman and Knox County District Attorney Randy Nichols said suspects convicted of aggravated robbery in Tennessee currently serve about two years of an eight-to-12 year sentence. The proposed bill eliminating parole would ensure that criminals serve at least 85 percent of their sentence.

“We believe it’s the same limited number of people that commit crime after crime after crime,” Mr. Nichols said.

The coalition highlighted New York’s drop in violent crime after the state enacted laws eliminating parole for second-time violent offenders and later, all violent offenders. The violent crime rate dropped by more than a third since New York passed the laws in 1995, Mr. Nichols said.

Chattanooga police Chief Freeman Cooper said crime will not drop without government support.

“If we don’t change the way that our government officials think about these violent crimes, it’s not going to change,” he said.

Staff Writer Andy Sher contributed to this report.