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When staff shortages and tight funding meet a rise in drug crime, you might not expect an overburdened police department to make extra work for themselves. Yet that is exactly what happened in Chattanooga in the mid 2010s, when calls to EMS started backing up so severely the cops had to start shouldering more of the response than ever before.
Today I’m speaking with Investigator Terry Topping of the Chattanooga Police Department’s Narcotics Unit, and Jennifer Baggett, senior data analyst for Hamilton County government. As the opioid overdose deaths kept piling up, Terry, Jennifer, and other dedicated individuals on the force used three ingredients to start turning the tide: data, compassion, and leadership.
Chattanooga currently does not have a co-response unit, but their Narcotics Unit has used the resources they have to get people that overdose in connection to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery court. And it’s working: not only are their deaths decreasing, so is aggravated assault and burglary.
Hosted and produced by Jeremy Kourvelas. Original music by Blind House.
Learn more:
Hamilton County drug and crime data: www.hamiltoncounted.org