Protests and anger over racial injustice have roiled communities across the nation this summer, including Chattanooga. A report from the American Civil Liberties Union provides evidence of racial disparity in the enforcement of marijuana laws. In “A Tale of Two...
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Experience Counts
Year: 2020
The search for justice during a pandemic
In the blink of an eye, thousands of jury trials nationwide were suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Criminal suspects were left languishing, awaiting their respective fates. Scrambling for options, videoconferencing, and other remote options strived to keep the...
Serious accidents increased during COVID-19 lockdown
Chattanooga spent nearly two months in quarantine in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, things are closer to normal, though many of us are still taking precautions when out in public. Because so many people were working from home or furloughed during...
Serious allegations surrounding Uber drivers
Uber, founded in 2009 as Ubercab, has grown into a multinational ride-hailing company. The company now operates in nearly 800 metropolitan areas. Accessing their services is as easy as a swipe on a smartphone by any of their 110 million users worldwide. Controversy...
TBI’s “Crime in Tennessee” shows drop in reported crime
While 2020 is likely to be remembered as the year of the coronavirus pandemic, 2019 might be remembered in Tennessee for the drop in reported crime statewide. Chattanooga’s WRCB recently aired a story about the release of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s annual...
A Tennessee prosecutor announces major change in drug crime policy
If you drive about 135 miles northwest of Chattanooga, you will arrive in a part of Tennessee where possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana has been effectively decriminalized. According to news reports, Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk has...
Involving children with drug activity is a serious offense
A charge of distributing illegal substances like heroin or cocaine can result in a person serving serious jail time. However, the charges may not end there. Drug offenders who use children in their drug manufacturing or distribution activities may face additional...
Getting arrested: The downside to the Bonnaroo Festival
If everything was normal in America, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival would have occurred in June. But few things are normal in 2020. As you undoubtedly know, Manchester's Bonnaroo Festival was moved to the weekend of September 24-27. Back in January, when things...
Driving to see fireworks on the Fourth
The coronavirus pandemic continues to force changes on all of us. The latest is the cancellation of the annual Fourth of July fireworks display here in Chattanooga. Fortunately, there will be traditional fireworks displays across the area, including in Athens (they’re...
Is technology harming or helping criminal suspects?
Mapping Pretrial Justice is a database that uses risk assessment tools to help judges make informed decisions regarding pretrial releases. The goal of the supposedly cutting-edge tool is to reduce pretrial incarceration rates while identifying and eliminating racial...