The Chattanooga Police Department has been hosting gang prevention training sessions this week for officers and community leaders.
"It's a growing problem in our city, and it's more visible," Sgt. Danny Hill said.
The Gangs 101 sessions are sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance and have been led by Moses Robinson, a school resource officer from the Rochester Police Department in New York, and Lt. Harold Rochon with the Detroit Police Department.
Both have extensive experience with gangs. Their training has focused on gang identification, officer protection, confrontation strategies, parenting gang members, and ideas for networking within the community.
"Everyone has a very intricate role to play in preventing violence in their neighborhoods," Robinson said. "We're trying to equip neighborhoods with the tools to start curbing these gang trends."
"These guys from Rochester have been there and done that with gangs. And for us to be able to gain their knowledge is priceless," Hill said.
Read more in tomorrow's Times Free Press.