NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville's top police leader John Drake minced no words.
He's become increasingly frustrated the last 10 days from three different violent crimes in April where the accused suspects were out on bond for other crimes. The overarching picture from Drake is that he wants the criminal justice to communicate better, especially when it comes to suspected offenders' threats to public safety.
Recently, a musician was shot and killed, an Amazon delivery driver was raped and kidnapped and a high school student ran from a man trying to kidnap her.
"You can see the emotion and distrust of the system," Drake said Monday. "We want people to know the system is much bigger than law enforcement. There needs to be consideration and conversations to make them more accountable. For those mentally incompetent, there should be wrap-around services. Releasing them to prey upon the public isn't the answer."
The state legislature is moving forward with putting a referendum on the ballot to ask voters if those suspected of violent crimes should have their bond privileges revoked. That measure could be seen on the ballot as early as 2026.
However, Drake is more concerned about the now. He wants the entire criminal justice system from public defenders, judges and the Nashville District Attorney's Office to have a conversation. Drake said he knows those suspected of crimes have their Constitutional right to bond. However, he said it should be a discussion of what to do with those who continue to commit crimes over and over.
"We have to look if they are going to be a danger to the community and should it be set higher," Drake said. "It shouldn't be a low bond where people can get out again. Yes, I believe in the Constitutional right, but we have to look at those more likely to harm society. I am hoping the general public begins to see we have a problem. It's the whole community. We need to come together and hold people accountable."
What's happened in Nashville lately?
Last week, we learned of two different kidnapping situations.
One situation revolved around the suspect Jamien Taylor, who allegedly tried to kidnap a student who attended Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School. She was able to run away from him and run back into the school building. Only a handful of days earlier, Taylor was released on bond after allegedly accosting a woman in the Public Square Park elevator. He was charged with assault and attempted kidnapping.
That same day, we learned of another incident where an Amazon delivery driver was raped and kidnapped. The suspect, Carl Hamilton, has been charged with more than 90 different crimes since 2008.
The weekend before those kidnapping incidents, rapper Chris King, or Christopher Cheeks, was shot and killed. The suspect is Adrian Cameron, who was out on bond for a previous murder charge dating to 2021. He had an ankle monitor on at the time he allegedly committed the crime.
