Greeson: Fred Fletcher has earned right to reshape VRI staffing

Police chief Fred Fletcher
Police chief Fred Fletcher
photo Jay Greeson

Earlier this month, more than 90 percent of the Street Crimes Response Team asked to be reassigned.

It was a sobering revelation that could be described in any number of ways.

This unit is a key part of Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke's Violence Reduction Initiative.

The VRI has generated plenty of conversation and some controversy, and there are a litany of statistics to throw around.

Statistics - especially in terms of college football and crime - can be twisted to support whatever narrative you want to spin. In that regard, discussing the VRI now must be done with a measure of caution.

The numbers - like the individual decisions of 11 Chattanooga police officers - can offer a varied tale, and it's difficult to draw a direct connection to the success or failure of a multi-tiered policy with those numbers alone.

The 11 officers who have requested transfers have not spoken with the Times Free Press, and not with the media on the record. They have their reasons for their transfer requests, be those personal or professional, as it should be. People change jobs, and jobs as stressful as fighting crime take an immense toll.

Still, the public perception implications were clear despite an understated release from police Chief Fred Fletcher this weekend.

"By now you have undoubtedly heard the Street Crimes Response Team is in a transition phase," Fletcher wrote in an email to staff and media.

To say losing 11 of 12 members of the key arm of arguably the most visible part of your organization is a "transition phase" is like the captain of the Titanic saying there may be some choppy water ahead.

That said, digging deeper, Fletcher's message to his officers and staff reaffirms the belief here that he is the right guy for arguably the toughest job in the city.

"A portion of this process will include a comprehensive review to evaluate organization, practices, deployment and other factors that promote this team's support of our organizational mission and goals," Fletcher said. "It is our plan to develop a structure and a strategy to have the most impact on gang violence in Chattanooga."

That plan should be crafted from Fletcher's vision.

Fletcher has been thoughtful and decisive and, above all else, a leader. Here's hoping he makes the VRI his own.

"This is going to be an exciting opportunity to make a difference in our department and our community," he wrote this weekend.

Fletcher has made community relations a priority - something that likely may have had a hand in some of the transfer requests - and he rightly wants to police a community as well as fight crime.

It's a fine line, of course, and whether to use any measure of force is the most difficult professional decision there is.

And here's hoping Fletcher's clear vision and reliable judgment reshape one of the department's most meaningful and significant arms with a view on fighting all crime - whether it fits into the social narrative or not.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com. His "Right to the Point" column runs on A2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

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