The East Ridge Police Department is a full service, state certified police agency providing our citizens with excellent services. We are comprised of several divisions including patrol division, criminal investigations division, special operations division, warrant division, records division and specialized units such as canine unit, police motor squad, crime suppression, and traffic investigation unit. The Department is staffed with 47 full time officers, 13 reserve officers, and a complement of school crossing guards.
The department is headed by Chief Clint Uselton. Clint joined the department in 1999 and has held the ranks of Patrol Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Assistant Chief prior to his current rank of Chief of Police. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (Class #276), and Tennessee Law Enforcement Executive Development. He has also attended numerous specialized schools on supervision, leadership, instructor development, and traffic. He has been a resident of our City for almost 20 years.
His focus will be to lead a proactive department organized to actively respond to the needs of the city’s citizens. He states he “is excited to be entrusted with the leadership of a department full of dedicated and motivated public servants. Working alongside our citizens and other partners, we can continue to advance our mission of creating a safer East Ridge.”
Assistant Chief Creel joined the East Ridge Police Department in 2001 and has held the ranks of patrol officer, detective and lieutenant prior to his current rank of Assistant Chief of Police. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (Class #282) and has attended numerous specialized schools on firearms, narcotics, leadership, instructor development and investigative techniques.
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Clint Uselton
Police Chief
Josh Creel
Assistant Police Chief
Steaven Rogers
Administrative Lieutenant
Greg Beck
Criminal Investigation Division Lieutenant
Ashley Hewitt
Patrol Lieutenant
East Ridge Police Department Mission
It is the mission of the East Ridge Police Department to create a safer East Ridge for our citizens and visitors by reducing crime, preserving the peace, and protecting lives and property.
To report crimes or incidents, please call Police Dispatch at (423) 622-1725. For emergencies call 911.
HIRING OFF-DUTY OFFICERS
In order to efficiently respond to requests and manage the employment of off-duty police officers, the East Ridge, TN Police Department has partnered with Off Duty Management to provide services related to hiring off-duty officers effective October 24th, 2022
YOU CAN REQUEST SERVICE BY VISITING THE OFFICERTRAK® WEBSITE LINK:
https://odm.officertrak.com/East-Ridge-TN-PD
OR CALL OFF DUTY MANAGEMENT 24/7 TOLL-FREE AT 1-877-636-8300
The Administrative Division is composed of the Communication Division, Fugitive Division, Records Division, and Property & Evidence Division.
The Fugitive Division is tasked with the service of felony and misdemeanor arrest warrants obtained through East Ridge City Court. These warrants are served throughout the state on suspects in criminal cases. The Fugitive Division is also responsible for the service of criminal summonses and subpoenas and the booking and transporting of prisoners to the Hamilton County jail.
Sergeant - Tim Spires
The Records Division is responsible for the maintenance, entry, and processing of police reports. The initial reports taken by officers are entered into a records management system. Records handles offense reports, arrest reports, crash reports, and traffic citations. The records division is responsible for entering and maintaining upwards of 15,000 reports a year.
The Records Division is also responsible for customer service. The Records staff handles requests for incident reports and other items. This includes copies of Offense Reports, Arrest Reports, Crash Reports, Beer Cards, and Fingerprint Cards. There is a nominal charge for copies of reports and on each fingerprint card.
Fingerprint cards are only available on Wednesdays at the East Ridge Police Service Center from 8:00am to 11:00am
The hours for Records are Monday-Friday, from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays. Records can be reached by telephone at (423) 867-3718.
This division is responsible for the retention and organization of items associated with cases and holding evidentiary value, items held for safekeeping, and acts as a support mechanism in maintaining the chain of custody of items and preserving integrity of evidence for court proceedings.
Found property items (i.e., backpacks, bicycles, clothing, hand tools, etc.) that hold no evidentiary value are held for a period of 60 days prior to disposal.
The hours for Property and Evidence are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays. Property and Evidence can be reached by telephone at (423) 867-9157.
The Canine Unit currently consists of one officer/canine team. The handler and canine have received extensive training in the detection of narcotics, canine patrol tactics and tracking.
The team routinely trains in building searches for suspects, and the protection of the handler. The canine team is a valuable tool in the department's fight against crime and drugs. The canine team is a part of the special operations division.
Crime Suppression works with other ERPD units and Federal and State partners to proactively enforce drug and property crimes along with fugitive apprehension.
The Police Department has various programs that are open to the local community to participate in. Below are the programs and their descriptions.
Citizens' Police Academy
The East Ridge Police Department is now accepting new applications for it's upcoming Citizen's Police Academy. To apply please print out the application and waiver form. Completed applications can be mailed to Chief Clint Uselton.
East Ridge Police Department
Attn: Assistant Chief Clint Uselton
4214 Ringgold Road
East Ridge, TN 37412
Community Care Program
Seniors can have a representative of the department contact them weekly to check on their welfare and address concerns. If contact is not made with the senior, an officer will be dispatched to the residence and the designated emergency contact will be notified. To qualify for the free program, you must be a resident of East Ridge over 65 years old. Those over 18 with physical and mental disabilities may also be eligible.
To apply please print out the application and then mail the completed application to Chief Clint Uselton.
East Ridge Police Department
Attn: Chief Clint Uselton
4214 Ringgold Road
East Ridge, TN 37412
Ride-Along Program
The East Ridge Police Department values our relationship with the citizens of the city. To further promote this relationship, the Department invites citizens of East Ridge to participate in the Department’s Civilian Ride-Along Program. The purpose of the Ride-Along Program is to encourage community involvement in law enforcement and to educate the public by opening lines of communication between the community and police. Additionally, the Ride-Along Program promotes a better understanding of the challenges, risks and rewards of the police officer's job. As part of the Ride-Along Program, Citizens will ride in a patrol car with an officer as he or she answers calls, makes traffic stops, and conducts other patrol duties.
If interested, please complete this application, read the Rules and Regulations and the Release and Waiver of Claims, and sign where indicated. All forms may be emailed to cuselton@eastridgetn.gov or dropped off in person at the Police Department during business hours. Be aware that a criminal background investigation will be conducted prior to approval being given to participate. Please allow two weeks for processing
Take Me Home
"Take Me Home" is designed to assist law enforcement in emergencies when they interact with people with special needs or have disabilities like Autism or Dementia. These individuals may be unable to speak, properly identify themselves, or may act in ways that could be misinterpreted by first responders. This program allows their family members or caregivers to register them in the program. That registration consists of a current picture, demographic information, contact information for their family members or caregivers, and any other information that they wish to provide to aid first responders. Then if a first responder such as police officer encounters someone in this program, they can use that information to better help that person. This program is voluntary, confidential, and free. Enrollment is easy and can be done via the website listed below.
https://www.takemehometn.org
The Patrol Division is the largest unit in the East Ridge Police Department and is comprised of four patrol teams and a traffic team. These teams are responsible for answering calls for service, routine patrol, traffic enforcement, and crash investigation. They are committed to the protection of life and property, and the preservation of law and order. The Patrol Division maintains a fast response time and serves as a deterrent to crime.
The Patrol Division also maintains the Reserve Police Officer program.
Reserve Police Officers
The police department maintains a Reserve Police Officer program. Their responsibilities include accompanying full-time police officers on patrol, assisting in the prevention and detection of crime and serving as court officers in East Ridge City Court. The unit also provides security at special events, such as July 4th celebrations and the annual Christmas parade.
The Reserve Police Officers play an important part in our community at a minimal cost to the City. Reserve Officers volunteer their time and services for special events and training. They attend mandatory state approved annual in-service training and monthly reserve training.
The East Ridge Police Department maintains a fully-equipped S.W.A.T./Special Operations Team made up of members of both the Patrol Division and the Criminal Investigation Division.
In the event of a serious confrontation with a violent offender, high-risk arrest/search warrants, or barricaded suspect S.W.A.T. officers are deployed to take tactical control of the situation in an effort to contain and defuse the situation.
The S.W.A.T. team trains regularly to maintain operational readiness to meet the tactical operational needs of the East Ridge Police Department and its law enforcement partners.
City of East Ridge | 1517 Tombras Avenue | East Ridge, TN 37412