Chattanooga officials confirmed today that the city will have to return a $300,000 federal grant that was intended to help police monitor gang activity, as well as fund a special gang prosecutor position.
Police Chief Fred Fletcher said the city had been working for months on a plan to keep the grant that was awarded to the previous administration. The money was given for use by a gang task force created by former Mayor Ron Littlefield. But Mayor Andy Berke disbanded the task force as soon as he took office.
Chattanooga Police Chief Fred FletcherIn November, the Department of Justice told the city that the grant couldn't be used as part of the city's Violence Reduction Initiative. The grant, which was awarded to Chattanooga as part of a competitive process, had to follow the city's initial plan under Mayor Ron Littlefield, which included hiring a gang prosecutor for the Westside and Alton Park, a program modeled after Los Angeles' anti-gang program.
Fletcher said the city was prepared to follow the program outlined in the grant in order to use the funds, but when the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies - a key partner in the grant - closed its doors, city officials decided they couldn't use the grant.