Saturday night proved to be a very busy one for Metro officers. What continues to be an alarming trend is the number of firearms on the streets ... and the apparent willingness to use them indiscriminantely.
Such was the case early Sunday morning when a young woman bumped up against a car. The passengers took offence, and one person stepped out the car and punched the woman. A bystanders came to her aid and he was shot. At that point, police believe many people drew weapons and the bullets began to fly. This was an area with many young innocent people.
Twenty years ago, this would have been a fist-fight, there would have been bruises and maybe broken bones, but it would be doubtful that anyone's life would be in jeopardy. Today, too many people are quick to draw a firearm and shoot to settle the most innane disputes.
Police are doing what we can to get illegal guns of the streets ... but how can we better tackle this issue as a community?
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- Savannah-Chatham Metro Police
- Savannah, Georgia, United States
- Savannah-Chatham Metro Police are constantly seeking new ways to communicate with our community. Here are some insights and thoughts about crime, crime prevention and your police ... straight from the source!
3 comments:
As a concerned citizen , I would love to be able to help with this issue. But there are two issues you need to resolve. (A). Communication ,who do I call if I see for example someone with a secreted gun, non emergency yields a new officer who takes no report and seems to feel like I,ve taken him away from something. 911 gets me a operator who tells me I should have called the "switchboard" at the local precinct because is is not a emergency. (B).Response , If your lucky enough to get a "senior" officer to respond to your issue he does something , takes a description etc. Three times in the last year calls have resulted in officers showing, up doing nothing and wasting there time and mine. On one occasion the call I made could have prevented a residential burglary if only the officer had been dispatched in less than FOUR hours and done more than stick his head in the door of my business! Love to help, give us a way and we will.
You've brought up two good points. However, note that people carrying a concealed weapon are not necessarily criminals. Many people do have permits to carry concealed weapons.
a) Who do you call?
Right now, any call with a requirement for police response needs to go to 9-1-1. Staff do have to prioritize calls - and yes, there will be times when callers will have to wait a significant amount of time for police response.
b) Response
SCMPD has undergone a huge turnover in staff. Within the past two years, we have turned around our vacancy rates and our retention rate is much better. Our precincts now are fully staffed. This is not to say we don't need more officers. In the Chief's budget presentation, he has requested more officers. The addition of officers will make a huge difference in response.
Thanks for your comment!
The problem is others not reporting illegal activity. Encourage people to report illegal guns and activity.
Begin in public housing, low-income apartment complexes, and government subsidized housing.
During one month for instance, the first 10 people calling could get an incentive. If they missed the first 10 last month they can try again the next month. The one calling with the most effective tips could become the leader of the housing illegal awareness unit!
Give residents an incentive to call police about illegal guns and other activity. An incentive such as a $20 food voucher from Kroger, $10 voucher from the electric company, movie tickets for the young, or something else from whatever sponsors you can get.
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