Data - when properly collected and interpreted - can paint a picture of what is happening, and why, in a community.
Jennifer Baggett - for years, an analyst with the Chattanooga Police Department - recently started a new job as data analyst for Hamilton County Government.
She’s gathering and studying data on overdoses, homelessness and crime for a new monthly report titled “Hamilton Counted” - the first report expected next month.
I spoke with Jennifer - and David Roddy, former Chattanooga Police Chief and now Senior Advisor to Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp.
![Jennifer Baggett](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0462800/2147483647/strip/true/crop/536x529+0+0/resize/880x869!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffb%2F52%2F23acc6de4cb89fb4469c7a0236ea%2Fjennifer-baggett.jpg)
Olivia Ross / Chattanooga Times Free Press
![David Roddy](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ce75891/2147483647/strip/true/crop/800x800+0+0/resize/880x880!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2F52%2F232387c64336975860f3bf3ff8b2%2Fdavid-roddy.jpg)
David Roddy