Community celebrates police captain's decades of service

Brian Cotter
Brian Cotter

Dorothy Royal usually shies away from attention, but when the East Chattanooga Neighborhood Improvement League hosted a fish fry to celebrate police Capt. Brian Cotter's retirement, Royal moved quickly to sing his praises.

"We could call on him and he was always there for us," she said without hesitation. "He is a real crime-fighter."

Royal was one of dozens of East Chattanooga residents, elected officials and city workers celebrating Cotter's 30-year career as a police officer this week at Avondale Center.

Avondale Neighborhood Association President James Moreland fried fish in Cotter's honor. And Teal Thibaud, executive director of Glass House Collective, presented Cotter with a gift card for a round of golf.

Cotter, 55, worked for the Chattanooga Police Department from June 6, 1986, to June 5, 2016.

He said his proudest moment came around 2010 when he received a manager of the year award. The crowd at the event mostly included fellow police officers and their families, but when he received the award, more than a dozen residents came to applaud him.

"I didn't know that you guys even knew about [the award], but it made me the proudest I've ever been for my mother and father to see how much I was involved in the community and that you guys thought enough about me to come out there and be with me," Cotter said at the luncheon Tuesday.

This week's celebration came from residents who live or work in a community entrenched with gangs and violent crime. It came as cities across the country wrestle with police relations and race. Moreland said Cotter conducted himself in a way that earned trust and brought citizens and law enforcement together.

"Both young and old people can respect him, not only as an officer but as a person who cares about them," Moreland said. "That's the key. When people see caring, that has a whole lot of weight."

Royal applauded Cotter for explaining information to neighborhood groups, participating in their "drug take-back" efforts and using his own resources to purchase paint for covering gang graffiti on buildings.

"He goes over and above the call of duty touching the lives of people," Moreland said.

Cotter said his 30 years included great highs - and lows.

In 2002, he mourned when police Officer Julie Jacks was fatally shot. Cotter was her supervisor.

And he nearly retired in 2010 after Sgt. James "Tim" Chapin was fatally shot. The two were so close they went on vacations together.

He's been bitten, spat on, kicked and punched - but never shot - in 30 years, and he's never been in a wreck. He plans to work with Moreland on community projects in the future such as the annual community-building campaign National Night Out, he said.

He credits the community with helping him be more efficient at his job. Instead of only enforcing the law, he participated in events to help people get jobs and housing. They worked together for back-to-school celebrations and community cleanups that brought people together.

"By being friends with so many of you, it enabled me to get things done that I could have never got done without you," Cotter said. "Like instead of just arresting people and writing tickets to address crime, I was able to get to the root of all the reasons that contributed to crime, and for once in my life I could see that we were making a difference."

Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@times freepress.com or 423-757-6431.

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