Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 3/9/16. Chattanooga Housing Authority Police Chief of Public Safety Felix Vess demonstrates surveillance equipment that has been installed and records 24-hours a day at nine public housing sites throughout Chattanooga. Police used Chattanooga Housing Authority cameras to apprehend suspects in a recent shooting.
Chattanooga Housing Authority executive director Betsy McCright recognized CHA Police Chief Felix Vess at the housing authority's monthly board meeting Wednesday for using the housing agency's digital recording equipment to apprehend perpetrators involved in a spate of recent shootings.
"These cameras that you awarded the $200,000 for last year came in so handy on Saturday afternoon," said McCright. "We had six cars shoot at East Lake Courts. Felix was in Athens, but within 20 minutes of the incident he was able to pull up the video recording equipment and get those videos to CPD (Chattanooga Police Department).
"He was able to identify the six cars with the license plate number and that really helped solve the crime. And just yesterday was the incident in College Hill (Courts). Felix happened to be sitting in my office and within five minutes of hearing the shooting on his radio, he had the recording right there on his machine in my office. It was amazing."
McCright said she and Vess plan to apply for a $250,000 emergency security grant by the end of this month to put more cameras in public housing sites.