NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — New efforts are underway in Tennessee to try to keep local communities safe by keeping guns out of the hands of those charged with violent crime.
It was announced this week. It's called Operation Bond Watch.
“Breaking cycles of violent gun crime by repeat offenders is essential to the safety of the Nashville community,” said Metro Police Chief John Drake. “Operation Bond Watch is an important tool in a system of checks and balances between a defendant’s arrest and ultimate adjudication of the case.
Under the initiative, if someone on bond for serious violent crimes is found with a firearm federal prosecutors will quickly seek charges against them.
Federal officials pointed to recent cases in Nashville that led to the push for the operation. In those cases, suspects accused of violent crimes were out on bond when they killed someone else. For example, in April 2024, a Nashville man out on bond for a 2021 murder was arrested on suspicion of committing another murder. Both cases are still pending.
“The goal is to keep the community safe from gun violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas Jaworski. “and to prevent those on bond while charged with murder and attempted murder from illegally carrying guns while awaiting their day in court.”
The initiative will add additional federal agents to keep tabs on violent offenders and make sure they're following the law until their day in court.
Operation Bond Watch is an initiative that has gathered support from local law enforcement and federal agencies like the ATF and the FBI. Click herefor the full release on the new operation.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at tony.sloan@newschannel5.com.
For people of my generation, in our younger days we spent part of our weekends watching music shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train. That was before the age of music videos. Several years before Soul Train was syndicated out of Chicago, another syndicated R&B show was taped in Nashville at NewsChannel 5. Night Train aired in the 60s and included what may have been the first TV appearance for legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Forrest Sanders has another great look back at station history.
-Lelan Statom
