Chattanooga police Chief David Roddy's first year marked by growth, continuity

Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy talks to his officers during lineup before they go on patrol at the Police Services Center on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy talks to his officers during lineup before they go on patrol at the Police Services Center on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

David Roddy hasn't let the Chattanooga Police Department slow down since he became chief late last year.

But it hasn't been because of any big, sweeping changes. When Roddy took the reins, he didn't steer the department in a whole new direction. Rather, he's built upon policies and practices already in place.

"[Former Chief] Fred [Fletcher] and I both believed in what we worked and built together," said Roddy, who was deputy chief and chief of staff under Fletcher. "So to come in and not continue those same things, I think, is a little disingenuous."

When Fletcher was appointed, he came with a promise to "shake the snow globe," and Roddy has kept the snow swirling by continuing to build community relationships, incorporate new technologies and using focused deterrence to target the small group of people police say are driving most of the city's violent crime.

One of the larger changes Roddy has made is the creation of a gun unit.

Investigators in that unit can focus on ballistic matches from evidence found at crime scenes in order to track gun crimes, identify consistently used firearms and the offenders who use them. Those matches can then build out cases against the handful of people behind violent crimes.

Because of the gun unit, the Chattanooga Police Department is starting to be recognized as one of the leading agencies in the country addressing gun crime, Roddy said. In fact, several of the department's guidelines for how it follows up on "shots fired" calls were presented as an example to other departments at a recent International Association of Chiefs of Police conference.

Roddy has also made a number of small changes, and those have increased officer morale and often led to bigger developments.

Take, for example, the department's beard policy.

Previously, officers had to be clean-shaven. Roddy said he used the policy as a teaching moment for his officers.

"It wasn't really about the beards," he said, explaining it was about taking something everyone wanted to change and showing them how to go about doing that.

And that small change has had a significant effect on the department's morale, Sgt. Kevin Akins said.

"There are certain things that you can do as a chief that don't cost any money at all," Akins said. " We all want to get out there and get the bad guys and help people, and it's the little things that help you along the way to enjoy doing your job."

Roddy also started a 30-day goal program. Chiefs, captains and now lieutenants let him know what goal they'd like to accomplish within 30 days, and he keeps them accountable.

"It's understanding the importance of having an undercurrent of urgency and get things moving and fight procrastination," Roddy said.

That practice has encouraged his command staff to put their ideas together to best use their resources. As a result, the department's auto burglary and auto theft units will soon become one under the property crimes division. That union will help combat the large number of car break-ins and stolen cars, officials said.

"Those guys go hand in hand," Akins said. "The people that are breaking into the cars are usually the same ones that are stealing them."

Another aspect Roddy has made a priority is focusing on youth within the community.

"I'm a big advocate for adverse childhood experiences [training] and having our officers in our community understand what that means and how it impacts crime and individuals within the city," he said.

Adverse childhood experiences, also referred to as ACEs, are traumatic experiences that occur before the age of 18. Going through that training gives officers a better understanding of how trauma physiologically affects children.

And every Chattanooga police officer has received ACEs training, he said, and Roddy himself is set to become a trainer.

He's also encouraged officers to find opportunities to engage with children, from carrying a football in their patrol cars so they can stop and play catch with neighborhood children to participating in programs such as Coloring with a Cop or Big in Blue, a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

And Roddy has his own little brother who he meets with every Wednesday for about an hour.

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Roddy himself isn't one to slow down, either. Outside of work, his hobbies - hitting the gym, hunting, hiking, anything outdoors - keep him active. And at his desk, he stands rather than sits.

"Sitting's the new smoking, haven't you heard?" he said at his desk on a recent Tuesday morning in his office.

But it's not just the physical fitness aspect for Roddy. He already stays physically active, he said, so it's more of a deliberate act to keep his mind focused.

"I like to move pretty quick and stay moving throughout the day," he said.

So if he sits down, it's easy for him to get distracted by the many things begging for his attention.

"You will have a tendency on this job to get swallowed up by the inbox if you're not careful," he said of his emails. "Because it will never be empty."

Standing, he said, increases his engagement with people who stop by his office and helps him remember to get out of the office, something he's made a point of doing.

"We're not always perfect at it, but it's making sure that we get out around other members of the police department and just find out what's going on," he said.

One of the main goals he's had was and is to reduce violent crimes in the city, specifically homicides and shootings.

"As of this date, we've been pretty successful," he said.

So far, this year's number of homicides - 21 and one officer-involved fatal shooting - has gone down after a spike in 2017 with 34 homicides and 32 in 2016, a year that saw an unusually violent gang war.

"I see that as a measure of success," he said. "But it's taking into account everything that has led to that."

It's the efforts of the victim services unit and the creation of the homicide tip line, and using technology to efficiently narrow down possible suspects, as well as building trust between officers and the community, that has led to an 85 percent clearance rate within the department's homicide unit, he said.

But that trust has taken a hit in recent months.

Four current and former officers have been accused of rape, sexual battery, solicitation of prostitution and public intoxication this year, and Roddy has had to answer questions about the department's use-of-force policy after two videos showing white officers pulling black females from cars went viral.

On Feb. 2, Lt. Craig Joel drove his city vehicle drunk, stumbled through the Highway 58 Amigo's Restaurant parking lot and got back behind the wheel before slumping over.

Then, during a June 16 news conference, the department announced one of its officers was under criminal and internal affairs investigations for sexual misconduct. That officer was later identified as Desmond Logan, and more allegations have come to light since the news conference.

On Nov. 29, Officer Benjamin Dessalines was arrested on charges of felony kidnapping and felony sexual battery after allegedly taking a woman caught shoplifting to his apartment, fondling her and telling her he wanted to have sex with her.

And most recently, the department opened an internal investigation on Dec. 13 after Sgt. Peter Turk was taken into custody for solicitation of prostitution. Turk resigned on Dec. 18.

Roddy recognizes his department's image has been eroded.

"Some may not feel that we have the credibility to ask for trust," he said. But he's asking for it anyway.

"There is a process that is ongoing right now," he said. " There are many steps, and those steps are in place to make sure that the conclusion is sustainable and defendable. So while I understand the community's desire to see a swift resolution we have to work carefully through all of that to make sure that we do every step to adhere to our policy, employment law, criminal law, so we don't jeopardize [the case]."

"The only thing I can ask for is a little bit of patience, but I promise the community that they will reach a final disposition as soon as we're able."

At a recent lineup - a briefing session for officers starting their shifts - he addressed the issue head-on.

"There have been some incidents recently involving our officers and those of neighboring agencies that have hit our credibility," he told his officers.

He asked them to continue finding ways to connect with the community, and to take it a step further by letting their character shine through.

"If you're on a call and you see they have the same dog as you, tell them that," he said. "Make that connection."

Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.

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