Two days a week, Metro detectives MichaelGooch and Kurt Knapp strap on their handguns andbulletproof vests, grab a stack of manila folders andhit the streets.
They are looking for domestic violence suspectswho have eluded police.
Capt. Kay Lokey, head of Metro’s domestic vio-lence unit, said while her detectives do a good job ofhandling victims, she wanted a more aggressive ap-proach to arresting suspects.
“We don’t just have victims, we have suspects.We need to address both of them,” she said. “It’s away of holding these individuals accountable. It’s awin-win for both sides.”
The initiative was the brainchild of Gooch anddetective Jason Orsbon. So far, they’ve picked upmore than 160 suspects on about 260 warrantsthey’ve tried to serve — suspects who might nothave been picked up unless stopped by a patrol offi-cer for a traffic violation. The detectives focus onthe most dangerous offenders first — those wantedon felonies or who have a history of repeat domesticviolence.
The unit has a few more than a dozen detectivesat any one time but handles upward of12,000 domes-tic violence cases each year, according to agencystatistics.
Detectives in the past have complained of crush-ing caseloads made worse by pressure to performtraffic stops. While detectives on occasion wouldfind time to run out and try to execute a warrant,time was scarce.
“We have so many reports coming in, and somany victims coming to the office needing assis-tance, that we just really needed to be able to get acouple of guys that could dedicate and solely focuson certain warrants for an extended period of time,”Gooch said.
The detectives each have about 300 open war-rants at any time. They rotate each week, givingthem a chance to take two days to pick off the topsuspects on that last. They also visit victims whohave orders of protection, to check in and make suresuspects aren’t violating those terms.
The initiative is gaining plaudits from domesticviolence advocates, even those who were critical ofthe department in the past.
Gooch and Orsbon were honored in Novemberwith an award for “Innovative Domestic ViolenceServices” by the Nashville Coalition Against Do-mestic Violence.
Metro detective Michael Gooch leaves a house after searching it for a suspect in a domestic violence case. The depart-ment’s domestic violence unit has increased efforts to get suspects off the street. PHOTOS BY SAMUEL M. SIMPKINS / THE TENNESSEAN
Push against domesticviolence shows resultsArrests rise as police get moreaggressive in serving warrants
By Brian HaasThe Tennessean
Detective Kurt Knapp dons a protective vest as he gets readyto serve domestic violence warrants. So far, the initiative hasresulted in more than 160 suspects being detained.
Go to Tennessean.com to see a video ofthe domestic violence unit.
“We don’t just have victims,we have suspects. We need toaddress both of them. It’s away of holding theseindividuals accountable. It’s awin-win for both sides.’’
CAPT. KAY LOKEYhead of Metro’s domestic violence unit
» WARRANTS, 4B
THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012THE TENNESSEAN
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This story is totally unhip.Hipsters would never write
about how hip they are. Most hip-sters even complain about otherhipsters because hipsters are sohip they can’t even stand to beclassified as hipsters.
But guess what, Nashville?
We’re hip. Or so we hear.Travel and Leisure recently
listed Nashville among Ameri-ca’s Best Cities for Hipsters.We’re ranked with bike-riding,food-truck-eating, microbrew-beer-drinking havens such as Se-attle; Austin, Texas; and Portland,Ore. Other factors that landedNashville with hipster crowdsare “live music, coffee bars and
independent boutiques … and themost offbeat and tech-savvy lo-cals.”
Travel and Leisure acknowl-edged that the debated “hipster”term can inspire both eye rollsand admiration. Hipsters, theysay, can have a smirking attitudetoward mainstream institutions.
So where, exactly, can we ex-pect to spot hipsters in Nashville?
Hard to say, really, because oncea place gets the hipster label, realhipsters are likely to skulk off tonewer, hipper locales.
“From a hipster perspective,”said Richard Lloyd, an associateprofessor of sociology at Vander-bilt University, “the only thingworse than being on a list like thisis not being on it.”
So maybe it’s good that we’re
ranked 19th out of 20. We’re hip,just not that hip.
And that’s cool — or whatever.
Contact Jennifer Justus at 615-259-8072 or [email protected].
By Jennifer JustusThe Tennessean
Sorry, hipsters, Nashville ranks among coolestGo to Tennessean.com tosee a slideshow and mapof places where you
might find Nashville’s hipsters.
Tennessee lawmakers are revising a bill thatwould require welfare recipients to take drug testsin an attempt to improve its chances of holding upin court.
The bill’s sponsors are working to limit the cir-cumstances in which applicants for Temporary As-sistance for Needy Families would have to submitto a drug test following two opinions from the stateattorney general that across-the-board testingwould not stand up to a court challenge.
Any drug testing requirement probably stillwould trigger a lawsuit. But Gov. Bill Haslam’s ad-ministration and some Democrats say they maycome around to support the measure if testing islimited to cases in which case workers have a rea-sonable suspicion that an applicant uses drugs.
The House Health and Human Resources Com-mittee passed the drug testing measure, House Bill2725, on an 11-6 vote that largely followed partylines, with Republicans in the majority.
The vote came after the bill was amended to re-quire testing only in instances when a recipient hasbeen arrested or convicted of a drug or alcohol-re-lated offense, fails a psychological test for sub-stance abuse, fails a different drug test or is in-volved in an employment-related accident.
The amendment — filed by Rep. Jeanne Rich-ardson, D-Memphis, an opponent of the originalbill — responds to a pair of opinions from AttorneyGeneral Robert Cooper that said drug tests likelywould be found unconstitutional. The opinionswere based on a 2003 federal court decision inMichigan that said drug tests for welfare recipi-ents violate the Fourth Amendment, which barsunreasonable searches.
Legislators hope changes helpmeasure stand up in court
By Chas SiskThe Tennessean
Welfaredrugtest billrevised
» WELFARE, 4B
FRANKLIN — Franklin is aboutto get national recognition for itsplans to demolish the HarpethRiver’s lone dam.
But on the cusp of that honor,city leaders also are facing criti-cism about a proposal to build anew treatment plant that woulddischarge wastewater into theriver upstream from where thecity now draws drinking water.
The Goose Creek plant, whichwould be located in the city’ssouthernmost section, is part of aproposed $206 million, 30-yearpackage of water and sewer pro-jects. City leaders are working on
prioritizing and paying for thework, and the plant still lacksstate regulatory approval.
Still, Dorie Bolze, executivedirector of the Harpeth RiverWatershed Association, fearsrisks to river and human healththat could come from adding
Plant projectraises newfears for riverBy Kevin WaltersThe Tennessean
Jack Allenworries rivercouldn’thandle plant.
Dean Martin,has concernsarea nearhome will loserural character.
» HARPETH, 4B
