Lawsuit Dismissed Against Chattanooga Police Detective And City

Per the Chattanoogan, Attorneys Bryan Hoss and Janie Varnell with Davis & Hoss, P.C. representing a Chattanooga Police detective won a victory before the United States District Court Judge Daniel Breen in a civil rights lawsuit involving a suspect’s claims against the detective and the Chattanooga Police Department.

Nearly three years ago, August 2017, Detective Mike Early saw a suspect with an active warrant behind a business on Rossville Boulevard.  Detective Early called for back-up and then proceeded to make an arrest.  The suspect fled to his vehicle and then proceeded to drive towards Detective Early trying to strike him.  Pursuant to his training and experience, Detective Early fired his weapon striking the suspect who survived.  That suspect filed a civil rights lawsuit seeking monetary damages against Detective Early and the city of Chattanooga.

Yesterday, United States District Court Judge Daniel Breen dismissed the suspect’s lawsuit against both Detective Early and the city of Chattanooga and granted Summary Judgment in their favor. 

Attorneys for Detective Early, Mr. Hoss and Ms. Varnell said, “This win is the clearest indication that Detective Early followed his training and departmental policy in discharging his weapon that day.  At all times, his decisions and his use of force was justified.  We applaud not only Judge Breen’s decision, but also the Hamilton County District Attorney’s office who prosecuted the suspect and obtained a conviction for the aggravated assault on Detective Early. 

"This Order and decision finally brings this case to a conclusion and shows that what Detective Early did, at all times, was warranted and within the law.  Our office will continue to stand up for law enforcement officers in and around Chattanooga who make the right decision to use force when it is justified.”

Minnesota Senate GOP introduces legislation to hire more police officers

Minnesota Senate Republicans Tuesday pushed a package of bills they say would make communities safer.

The measures would encourage Minneapolis and St. Paul to hire more police officers and add police to light rail trains.

“Minnesotans deserve a safe place to live, work and play anywhere in this state,” said Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, the chair of the Senate judiciary committee.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, would require officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul to use 10 percent of their state aid payments to hire more police.

“If Minneapolis and St. Paul can not adequately protect their citizens, we’re going to help them do that,” Chamberlain said.

Republican lawmakers say their bills are a response to a recent increase in violent crime in St. Paul and Minneapolis. St. Paul saw a record 30 homicides last year, amid a drop in other violent crimes. In Minneapolis, the Star Tribune reported nearly two-thirds of the city’s 81 neighborhoods saw an increase in overall crime in 2019 from the previous four-year average

The package includes an increased compliance requirement for protective orders, enhanced penalties for firearm transfers to known felons and more funding for Violent Crime Enforcement Teams in rural Minnesota.

That proposal to require more security cameras and police for light rail transit was sponsored by Sen. Dan Hall, R-Burnsville, as a response to a jump in crime on trains and buses.

“We believe that the No. 1 job in Minnesota is to protect our Minnesota families. That’s most important,” Hall said. “We have a public transit crisis right now. How many of us would take the transit without thinking first, how safe am I going to be on here?”

Republicans also pointed out what is not included in the package. Limmer stressed that bills allowing people to carry firearms without permits and expanded protections for gun owners who fire in self-defense were deemed as too extreme.

But Limmer added that he also considers the expanded background check and red flag measures passed last month in the DFL-controlled House as too extreme.

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Sen. Blackburn introduces bill targeting driver licenses for illegal aliens

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has sponsored a bill that would restrict certain federal grants for states that grant driver licenses to illegal immigrants and fail to share information about criminal aliens with the federal government.

“Immigrants must follow the proper federal process and obtain citizenship or lawful status before obtaining a state driver license,” Sen. Blackburn said. “In America, no one is above the law.”

Sen. Blackburn introduced the Stop Greenlighting Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants Act, S. 3286, with eight Republican cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Steve Daines (R-MT).

U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) on Feb. 12 introduced companion legislation, the same-named H.R. 5862, in the U.S. House of Representatives with 24 GOP cosponsors.

“Tennesseans know all too well what can happen when illegal immigrants are granted driver licenses,” said Sen. Blackburn, referencing vehicular deaths in her home state caused by illegal aliens who were later deported.

“While Tennessee and many other states prohibit driver licenses for illegal aliens, a growing number of states are moving in the opposite direction and unleashing dangerous open borders policies,” the senator said.

If enacted, the bill would halt certain U.S. Department of Justice grant funding to states that defy federal immigration law, such as funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, which provides yearly support to states for local law enforcement and criminal justice initiatives.

In fiscal year 2019, states that issued driver licenses to illegal immigrants received nearly $53 million from the JAG Program, according to Sen. Blackburn’s office, which noted that the bill would require states that issued driver licenses to illegal aliens, or states that failed to share immigration enforcement information with the Department of Homeland Security, to return unallocated funds to the JAG Program within 30 days.

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Bill To Arm All School Police With Guns Heads To State House

A Ky. House committee has given the green light to a bill that would require all school police officers to carry guns, with the goal of preventing school shootings.

The proposal is an update to a school safety bill that passed last year, which required every school to hire a school resource officer, or SRO. This year’s legislation would mandate every SRO carry a gun.

“I know as a parent when I drop my children off at school I want to make sure that they are going into a safe environment,” bill sponsor Sen. Max Wise (R-Campbellsville) told the House committee Tuesday. “If we are going to say these schools are going to be safe, and you’re having sworn law enforcement officers, they’ve got to be able to do their job if a situation were to get to that potential tragedy.”

All SRO’s are already armed, so most districts would see no changes, according to the Kentucky Center for School Safety.

Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville) voted against the gun requirement. In committee, Marzian pointed to numerous police shootings of unarmed Black men and women across the county.

“I’m really worried about a child in the school reaching for a pencil and an SRO shooting that child by mistake, and I think it’s only a matter of time until that happens,” she said.

The House education committee passed the bill despite those concerns. It goes to the House floor for a final vote.

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