Covington Police, Tipton County launch violent crime unit [Video]

COVINGTON, Tenn. (WMC) – Covington Police Department and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office are launching a joint violent crime unit, aiming to reduce crime in the area.

The departments were awarded a Violent Crime Intervention Fund Competitive Collaborative (VCIF) grant for $1,419,489 from the state of Tennessee to pursue the venture.

Specially-trained staff will launch the collaboration between agencies to react to and prevent violent crimes.

Their main three goals are:

• Prevent adult and juvenile violent crimes through education and awareness, identify repeat offenders, and improve the ability to prosecute violent offenders.
• Improve digital evidence processing and forensic capabilities for joint criminal investigations to identify those responsible for committing violent crimes in our communities.
• Improve citizen safety, trust, and cooperation among law enforcement and the community members with the Covington Police Department and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office.

“This major funding push has increased the ability of Covington and Tipton County law enforcement to respond …