Sgt. Todd Royval of the Chattanooga Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit speaks in this file photo.To generate more leads on suspects involved in shootings, the Chattanooga Police Department will revamp the way investigators collect and share information in the department.
The goal is to quickly gather and organize as much data as possible on witnesses and victims, information that Chattanooga police Lt. Todd Royval said is critical to solving violent crimes.
“What we lack is linking intelligence to other people within their gang. Being able to almost have a crystal ball of what’s coming next,” he said in an interview last week.
Police would be able to evaluate patterns of violence as well as the criminal histories and associates of victims and witnesses to tell if more violence is coming and when.
“We’re doing it, but we’re doing it pretty much on paper or by word of mouth,” Royval said.