Local legislators say they are willing to hear concerns from Chattanooga officials about a new state law that critics argue would weaken a citizen committee that reviews allegations of police misconduct.
State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, said he heard zero local opposition to the bill when it was first introduced earlier this year — not from the Chattanooga City Council, not from the Chattanooga Police Department, not from committee members and not from the city’s lobbyists.
State Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, was the only member of the local legislative delegation to vote against the law.
“Absolutely nobody voiced an opinion about it one way or the other,” Gardenhire said in a phone interview Friday.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly brought the subject up on a recent phone call with the delegation, the state senator said.