NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When it comes to the police department, Chief John Drake is committed to improving how police interact with citizens, strengthening community relations and engaging in what he calls "precision policing" to get the worst actors off the streets.
When it comes to the community, both Mayor John Cooper and Drake asked the community to help investigators solve crimes and re-evaluate some of the laws on the books.
"If we’re going to change this area, first and foremost, we do have to have restorative justice," Drake said. "But two, we need our communities connecting with these young people and working with them at an early age before they hit that cycle. And as I said earlier, once they hit that system, it’s hard to come back out. It’s hard to recover. We’ve got to look at all of those three spectrums and more if we’re really going to do something about crime."
Chief Drake added he thinks Nashville will have to re-evaluate how it treats people who have already paid their debt to society to get them to become productive community members again.
"It’s not going to go away," Cooper said. "It’s how well we respond. And what are we doing to prepare us and our community and our people to help law enforcement meet this challenge?"
