In early 2016, District Attorney General Neal Pinkston responded to citizen complaints about gang related crimes by taking steps to form a multi-jurisdictional team to combat street gangs.
The Chattanooga Tactical All Region Gang Enforcement Team (TARGET) is a joint effort of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together to cut gang related crime.
While a majority of gang crimes in our region happen within the city limits of Chattanooga, gangs are increasingly operating outside the city limits.
TARGET provides a powerful, united front in the prevention, intervention and prosecution of gang activity in the southern end of the Eastern District of Tennessee.
TARGET's primary goal is to reduce gang related violent crimes while cutting the numbers of illegal guns and drugs on our streets.
To accomplish that, TARGET uses a range of "Special Deterence" strategies, including:
Collaborative Investigations
Sentence Enhancements
Public Nuisance Injunctions
TARGET activity is coordinated through the Hamilton County District Attorney General's Office by retired DEA Resident Special Agent in Charge Ben Scott, who is uniquely qualified to fill this vital role.
Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger provided office space in Newell Tower for TARGET's strategic planning operations. This allows multiple agencies to work together to visually map and track gang concentrations and criminal activity throughout the region.
