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Hamilton County has new emergency alert system. So when a call about ‘potential active shooter’ came in, why did it go unused?

Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Law enforcement officials respond Monday to a 'potential active shooter' event in East Brainerd. The incident ended with the shooter dead by suicide and no other injuries, police said. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Law enforcement officials respond Monday to a 'potential active shooter' event in East Brainerd. The incident ended with the shooter dead by suicide and no other injuries, police said.

By Andrew Schwartz June 25, 2024 5 min read

In April, Hamilton County launched a new mass notification system, intended to send alerts directly to residents’ phones about emergencies like severe weather events or active shooters.

When police responded Monday to what they called a “potential active shooter situation,” however, the new system, known as Regroup, was not used, officials said.

On Tuesday, spokespeople for the Chattanooga Police Department and Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security — which administers Regroup — gave mixed answers as to why this was.