A little known provision of a 1990 Voting Rights Act federal court order that forced Chattanooga to change its form of government more than three decades ago is preventing the city from maintaining a fully staffed police force.
The order, which directed the city to create a more diverse form of government, contains wording that restricts city police hiring from outside Tennessee.
Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy believes that provision ought to be changed, and we agree.
Roddy said the department is losing an astounding five to six officers a month for reasons other than retirement. He wants the latitude to recruit in North Georgia, just across the border from Chattanooga, and in North Alabama.
“It’s a difficult time to be a police officer,” he told Chattanooga City Council members Tuesday. “Many who are leaving us are getting out of law enforcement altogether.”