Savannah police report downward crime trends overall, outline tech upgrades and staffing gaps

Chief of Police Roy Minter presented a year-to-date crime analysis to the City Council on Dec. 5, 2019, reporting that total property and Part 1 crime are down compared with 2018 and 2017 for most precincts, while domestic violence and gun-related crimes remain areas of concern.

Minter described technology and staffing proposals: ShotSpotter missions, stationary license-plate readers, flock cameras, speed trailers, and mobile fingerprint readers. He said notifications from some systems are routed directly to lieutenants and captains and that the department has already used alerts to help locate at least two stolen vehicles.

On citations, Minter said a vendor for electronic ticketing has been selected and the contract is in final review with the City Attorney; once Council approves the contract after the new year, the department expects implementation in about 90–120 days. He said electronic citations address officer safety and court processing issues because the department is currently handwriting many tickets.

Minter reported 58 vacancies in the department but characterized recruitment as strong. He also announced organizational initiatives: a Domestic Violence Advisory Committee (to be led by Deputy Chief Price), an Accident Reduction Program (led by Major Gavin) and a redesigned End Gun Violence program (led by Assistant Chief Gunther).

Council members asked questions about voluntariness of mobile fingerprinting at scenes, response workflows for flock-camera alerts, court capacity for increased citations, and whether new technology emphasizes reactive monitoring versus prevention. Minter said the Real Time Crime Center will include preventative monitoring and community outreach remains part of the department’s strategy. No formal council action on these items was taken at the workshop.