– Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 –
Good morning! In this week’s public safety newsletter, we’re reporting on how software glitches are impacting Chatham County’s first responders, an interview with a cargo theft investigator on a $1 million bust in Rincon and what Savannah’s crime trends look like for 2023.
Questions, comments or story ideas? You can reach me as always at jake.shore@thecurrentga.org. Let’s dive in.
Emergency response hampered
In Chatham County, a new $6 million dispatch system meant to increase the efficiency of emergency responses and integrate the county’s disparate public safety agencies doesn’t accurately map around 2,200 locations, a glitch that potentially slows first responders.
The Current reported on the missing addresses on Monday and since then, we’ve received varied responses from concerned citizens and local officials alike. Savannah City Council Member Nick Palumbo said he’s received questions from a constituent on whether their address is impacted. He said he asked the city manager for a meeting to talk the issues over with the county.
The county has not answered questions from The Current about the location of those addresses, but we are following this story with multiple public records requests seeking more information
Reached by phone Wednesday, District 6 Commissioner Aaron “Adot” Whitely said he toured the 911 center with District 4 Commissioner Pat Farrell to learn more. Whitely said he is drawing up a list of recommendations for the county manager, including reducing miscommunication between 911 dispatchers and public safety agencies, instituting a public education campaign for residents on when to call 911 vs. the non-emergency line, and reviewing the questions call takers ask 911 callers during emergencies.
Whitely said the 911 center is working to fix the around 2,200 addresses by manually re-plotting the locations, so it routes ambulances to accessible roads, not just the closest ones: “It is really a matter of us honing on what’s really going on and working through the issues.”
Stolen cargo in Effingham
Growth and investment in Coastal Georgia, from sites like the Hyundai plant and the booming Savannah port, are transforming our region — from jobs, housing and even water supply. The changes have also created more opportunities for metro-area types of crime, like supply chain theft.
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office in Effingham County, overseeing a population of approximately 69,000, reported a major bust of $1 million worth of stolen goods from a warehouse in Rincon. Deputies involved in a cargo theft investigation seized cell phones, cars and Peloton exercise equipment from the warehouse.
Bob Hastings, a former Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent and head of the Georgia Cargo Theft Intelligence Group, spoke with The Current on his way back from the Effingham bust. He said a scammer stole the identity of a legitimate freight broker, who was going to get the Florida-based cellphone cargo moved, and assigned the cargo to an unwitting trucking company to bring it to Savannah. The cargo was re-routed through Port Wentworth and then to Rincon. The scammers planned to sell the cargo overseas, he said.
Hastings said there have been between 10 and 12 cargo theft cases in the Savannah area just in the last two months. He said stolen cargo is getting routed to Port Wentworth.
“It’s a very complicated scam,” Hastings said, “There’s a lot of layers you have to pull back to try to get to the ultimate location of where it went.”
Savannah crime stats
Savannah police leaders briefed city officials last week on 2023 crime trends, painting a mainly positive picture of how the city is handling public safety.
Violent crimes (homicides, sexual assaults, robberies and assaults) reported to the police were down slightly in Savannah compared to 2022, around 2%. It’s about on par with where violent crime was in 2020. SPD reported fewer murders in 2023 — 28 homicides, which is the second fewest in five years, since 24 homicides in 2019. Crime spiked across the country in the wake of the pandemic.
However, some reported crimes increased. Domestic assaults (without a gun) in 2023 increased by more than 25% compared to both 2021 and 2022.
Assistant Chief Robert Gavin told council that, in response to this trend, the department would be stepping up its partnerships with groups like Safe Shelter and Mary’s Place. Gavin said the agency is looking to identify repeat offenders and victims and is working to revive the Family Justice Center. The center previously provided services to crime victims and was instituted under former District Attorney Meg Heap, before closing after she lost re-election.
Software problem sends Chatham ambulances to Google Maps for emergency calls
Glitches in Chatham County’s new dispatch system are impacting emergency responses, including over 2,200 addresses not accurately linked to mapping software.
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