NAACP And Chattanooga Police At Odds

    The NAACP says there is fear in the black community of the police department. The local chapter says it reached this conclusion after listening to multiple complaints.

    But police Chief Freeman Cooper says fears of excessive force and racial profiling are not true. The NAACP stands behind its findings and wants the department to make strides toward unity. Local president Valoria Armstrong indicated that doesn't appear likely,"At the end of the day, Chief Cooper is not taking any ownership around the perception and he's not listening to the community," Armstrong said.

   The two organizations hit an impasse Tuesday at the Safety Committee meeting in front of City Council.

    The local chapter says the recent police shootings of Alonzo O'Kelley and Alonzo Heyward moved bad feelings back to the forefront.

    After a series of meetings in the black community, the association says two key perceptions came out; excessive force and racial profiling. Chief Cooper strongly disputed both. Chief Cooper said, "People that are not doing wrong have no reason to fear police. We don't go out there beating up people. This allegation of excessive use of force is just that. Racial profiling is just that. We haven't had one complaint in 2009."

    But councilman Russell Gilbert told the Chief the majority of the city's African Americans fear his department.

 Chief Cooper quickly responded, "I don't believe that." Councilman Gilbert shot back, "I do. I heard a lot of them say that, as a matter of fact I heard even policemen say that."

    The chief came to Tuesday's meeting armed with crime stats to defend his department against racial profiling charges. He showed the council a map of the City with a mark showing each incident on black on black crime. East Chattanooga, Brainerd, Highland Park and south Chattanooga were nearly saturated with dots. " Everyone of these dots are black on black crime. This is not a perception, these are actual facts," Chief Cooper said.

   The Chief drove home his point with statistics on violent crime. Of the 67 shootings to date this year, 62 of the victims are black. Chief Cooper added, "And 46 of the 48 suspects were black. That is not a perception, that is a fact."

    The NAACP doesn't dispute those numbers, but wants unity. Armstrong asked, "But what do you do to try to mend this relationship between the community and the police department? There is a divide. The police department and Chief Cooper have a responsibility in making that happen."

    Chief Cooper says only a few people are raising false allegations. "The minority group that may have spoke to her is a minority group. They don't speak for the majority of the people here, I don't believe that by any means," Chief Cooper said.

    The Chief says his department routinely attends community meetings. He and the NAACP agree parents are the best ones to preventing crime.

Meanwhile, councilmen Russell Gilbert and Andrae McGary volunteered to join a blue ribbon committee to look at these negative perceptions.