Chief Felix Vess

Felix Vess, police chief for the Chattanooga Housing Authority, knows what to expect this summer.

"The heat rises, the drama picks up and we have a chance of losing lives," he said.

This year, he said, "We don't want that to happen."

Because crime increases in warmer weather, the Chattanooga Housing Authority Police Department is increasing its patrol by 32 manhours a week at public housing sites for the rest of the year.

While the numbers of some crimes -- drug violations, for instance -- may stay relatively the same in winter and summer, crimes against people, such as assaults and burglaries, often go up in summer, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation data.

In 2008, there were 30 drug/narcotic violations, three weapons law violations and no simple assaults or burglaries at Chattanooga Housing Authority sites from January to March, according to the TBI Web site.

From July to September in the same year, there were 22 drug/narcotic violations, three weapons law violations, four simple assaults and two burglaries, according to the TBI, which got the figures from the housing authority.

"When temperatures rise, people get mad at each other," Chief Vess said. "There's not a lot of patience out there anymore, and you've got kids out of school, so there's a lot of people standing around doing nothing. And the gang activity is true, it happens, in our community and all over Chattanooga."

BEEFING UP PATROLS

The housing authority is hiring 14 to 16 off-duty Chattanooga police officers to help patrol 17 housing sites part time during the summer.

"We've had incidents at all of our properties," Chief Vess said.

Authority officials also said they expect to hire a full-time police officer, increasing the authority's police staff from five to six officers.

CHA police are sworn officers who have the authority to make arrests and carry guns. Chattanooga police are assigned to cover the entire city, while CHA officers' sole jurisdiction is public housing sites.

The safety of public housing residents depends on more police officers being present, said Jesse Davis, president of both the East Lake Courts Resident Council and the housing authority's Citywide Resident Advisory Board.

"You hear somebody shooting out here every night," she said. "It has got so bad that people are afraid to let their children go out on the playground.

"I think it's going to get worse this summer," she said.

Lutena Lewis, a resident and former president of the Cromwell Hills Resident Council, said more police officers -- especially if they keep a high profile -- can be only a good thing.

"Crime happens at every site. It might be kept hushed, but it goes on," she said.

Residents said they are aware when CHA officers are on the sites and when they're not.

"Having police does no good when the police aren't seen," Ms. Davis said. "The police may be at Harriet Tubman (housing development), but there's nobody here at East Lake and they (criminals) know what time the police are going to be here and when they're not."

Chief Vess said the housing police change their patrol schedules sometimes daily, depending on the weather or crime tips they may receive.

ASKING FOR HELP

The chief is calling on city officials and social service organizations to make sure summer jobs and activities are available for young adults.

"Summer jobs help to alleviate some of the gang activity and people joining gangs," he said. "We need things for young adults ages 15 to 21. If you don't have something for them to do, they're going to be hanging out on the street."

The group Hope for the Inner City is working with employers such as the Chattanooga Zoo to provide jobs for 10 high school students through its summer jobs partnership program, said leadership coordinator Charles Blevins.

"It gives young people something to do, and they learn what it's like to be in the business world," he said.

Housing authority police have been accused of police harassment for stopping public housing residents and their visitors. However, CHA police say they believe they can prevent crime by keeping people who are on the housing authority's trespassing list off the sites.

Chief Vess said about 1,000 to 1,300 people have been put on the list in the past decade. Only about 10 percent of those are related to people who live in public housing, he said, but about 75 percent of the crime in public housing is committed by people who are not residents.

Housing authority officers say their goal is to eliminate criminal activity on public housing sites and throughout the city.

"We're taking a proactive approach," Chief Vess said. "We have more officers out there, and we're saying keep the drama down, not only in our area but all over the city."