Jerry Summers

The very thorough and detailed critique of the Chattanooga Police Department’s (CPD) use of informants in the Sunday, October 20, 2024 edition of our flagship local newspaper by writer Sophia Saric is a harsh and serious touch with the reality that has plagued the CPD and other law enforcement agencies for endless years at the local, state and federal levels.

The accompanying review by a local criminal justice professor is informative (pun intended) from a legal perspective on how the use of paid witnesses or people with potential criminal charges of their own are often used to abuse the rights of potential guilty or innocent defendants .

Efforts to control or monitor the actions of whistleblowers are sometimes ill-advised or ignored (read the long article beginning on page 1.)

The facts displayed in “Black Eye for Police” are shocking, but they are not new and should not negatively affect the positive image of the vast majority of reputable police officers in the CPD and other agencies. However, the old cliché that “when you mix money with justice, justice often loses”, has some applicability.

During former Attorney General Neil Pinkston’s administration, 11 defendants had criminal charges dismissed because a confidential informant working with CPD planted evidence in their cases (Chattanoogan.com – Thursday, January 28, 2021.)

Flamboyant Hamilton County Sheriff, (1958-1963) and City of Chattanooga Fire and Police Commissioner, (1963-1971), James E “Bookie” Turner also had some embarrassing experiences with a paid informant, “The Baron” , who was supposed to be a crime-busting citizen, but in reality was a con artist convicted of making a profit by being a paid snitch.

Fast forward to today, and there are at least two potential federal informants in the Chattanooga area who have already “accepted responsibility” (the magic federal term for pleading guilty and cooperating with government officials to provide truthful evidence and/or testimony against others. )

They are:

1) a former minor league baseball manager involved in a Ponzi scheme who pleaded guilty in federal court in Hotlanta and accepted responsibility, who is currently serving time in a minimum security prison, but may be eligible for an additional sentence reduction for providing additional “substantial new assistance” to help the government prosecute others for corruption or other charges to further reduce their sentences; and

2) a former state legislator who pleaded guilty in federal court in Nashville in March 2022 to one count of “honest services fraud” (sounds contradictory), whose sentencing hearing was held several times to may or may not testify in the pending trial of others in 2025.

(Whether or not either of the above two individuals or others cooperated in providing information that could lead to further changes is beyond the scope of this article. However, Sunday’s excellent front page article raises many issues in the public domain and private that might be relevant and birdseed sells at a reasonable price With the booming Gig City economy, ample free and government funding, interested individuals in prominent positions of influence, the potential for elements of profit and greed in local communities. may exist to justify investigations by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies of individuals or businesses, etc.)

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If you have additional information on one of Mr. Summers’ items or have suggestions or ideas for a future Chattanooga-area historical piece, please contact him at [email protected])