Staff Photo by Angela Lewis
Chattanooga police officer Mirza Muretcehajic writes down a license number while handling a call on Wednesday afternoon. The Delta team has undergone many changes in the past few years.

Delta Team once was known as the dumping ground for Chattanooga Police Department officers being punished.

Internal affairs complaints against officers operating out of the Eastgate precinct abounded. Officers displayed little productivity. Morale dipped.

Shift supervisor Sgt. Patrick Welles was fired after he was found with a prostitute in his patrol car while on duty in 2003. Several officers under him resigned or were transferred.

“It had gotten pretty bad,” said Assistant Chief Mike Williams, who took over as captain of the sector in which Delta Team operates shortly after the prostitute episode.

The area Delta Team patrols area runs from Interstate 24 to Missionary Ridge and Interstate 75 to Highway 153 to Jersey Pike. This area encompasses night clubs, residential areas, shopping centers and the airport, which lead to a variety of calls.

During the next couple of years, team performance improved.

Former Police Chief Steve Parks placed experienced leaders with the team. Arrests increased. So did teamwork. Officers became more involved in the community, not only solving cases but taking time to get to know residents.

“I’m kind of proud of that one, to be honest with you,” Chief Williams said. “They make a lot of quality arrests. There really are some hard-working officers out there.”

Tightknit flock

Five years ago, Delta Team officers were close — but cliquish within the precinct itself.

Now a team-first mentality creates a family atmosphere, said Officer Jimmy Plumlee, the team’s senior patrol officer who patrolled Delta during its troublesome times five years ago.

“We all work together,” he said. “We just pitch in and help each other out.”

Officers are quick to point out that not all those who worked in Delta were bad officers. The conduct of a few spoiled the reputation of the rest, they say.

“This has always been considered the black sheep of the department,” said Delta evening shift supervisor Sgt. Phil Headden.

It’s a reputation that’s quickly changing.

“Now officers want to come work here,” said Sgt. Austin Garrett, the other evening shift supervisor.

Sgts. Headden and Garrett, who have worked as supervisors for three and one years, respectively, knew the history of the team and vowed to change it.

“Our goals were just to eliminate all the unethical or unprofessional actions that were going on,” Sgt. Headden said.

Starting at the top

Whereas the department previously received a multitude of complaints against Delta officers, supervisors now hear compliments.

With the exception of recently fired Officer Jeff White, who was let go in October for, among other things, failing to submit reports, improper handling of a domestic violence call and lying to his superiors, the Delta Team has had few internal affairs problems, said Capt. Randy Dunn, now over the Sector 3 Patrol Division, which includes Delta Team.

“Overall, I think the morale is good,” he said. “We have some new sergeants, some recently promoted sergeants there.”

Both evening shift supervisors have instilled an attitude of respect, responsibility and accountability in their officers. If an officer is rude on a call or to a dispatcher, they sometimes are made to call and apologize.

“We lead by example,” Sgt. Garrett said. “That’s the only way you can prevent (major problems).”

Both sergeants respond to calls with officers and approach their jobs as teachers, not overseers.

Delta evening officers annually are tasked to find one project that involves identifying a problem, creating a solution and implementing a plan.

“We’re teaching them to get out and aggressively patrol their districts,” Sgt. Garrett said. “We’re teaching them in the process about how you are proactive.”

That includes not only making arrests, but communicating with residents.

“Those guys are very personal,” said Evann Gibson, service manager for Lexus of Chattanooga on Lee Highway. “They want to relate on your level.”

Mr. Gibson got to know Sgt. Garrett when the officer worked in the auto theft division.

“I work extremely well with those guys,” Mr. Gibson said.