Staff File Photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free Press -The badge of the Chattanooga Police Department adorns the shoulder of an officer.It takes a village to stop a gang — a proactive, aggressive and well-connected village, explains Moses Robinson, an officer from the Rochester Police Department in New York.
“Everyone has an intricate role to play in preventing violence in their neighborhoods,” said Robinson, in town Thursday for a training session for Chattanooga police and other community leaders. “We’re trying to equip schools, law enforcement, churches and parents with the tools to start curbing these growing gang trends.”
For three days this week, Chattanooga police have been hosting Gangs 101, a series of gang prevention training sessions at their headquarters. The sessions have been sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance and have been led by Robinson and Lt. Harold Rochon from the Detroit Police Department.
Both have extensive experience with gangs, with training that focuses on gang identification, officer protection, confrontation strategies, parenting gang members and ideas for networking within the community.
Also attending were other area police departments and members of Chattanooga’s Department of Corrections, East Chattanooga Weed and Seed, Stop the Madness and Chattanooga Housing Authority.