– Thursday, April 18, 2024 –
Good morning. In today’s public safety newsletter, we’re reporting on the dynamics of the Brunswick DA’s race, improvements to Chatham’s troubled 911 center, and an update on the case of a Warnock canvasser shot in Savannah in 2022.
Questions, comments, story ideas? You can reach me at jake.shore@thecurrentga.org.
NEWS FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Campaign preview: Brunswick DA
The Current has been interviewing candidates from key races down the coast and working on stories.
For newsletter readers, we’re providing a preview into the dynamics of one of those races: the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney, which will be decided on May 21. DA Keith Higgins is defending his seat from longtime prosecutor John B. Johnson in the election for top prosecutor over Glynn, Camden, Appling, Wayne and Jeff Davis counties.
Higgins: Since his 2020 election win over former DA Jackie Johnson, Higgins said he has had to build the agency back up with staff. He added seven attorneys, which he said he poached from “progressive prosecutor” agencies, like those in Chatham and Athens-Clarke counties. Restoring trust in the DA’s office after the indictment of his predecessor has been a goal of Higgins, he said. He has worked towards that by showing zero tolerance for misconduct, increasing training for staff and meeting with community stakeholders more regularly.
“We’ve done several things to try to fix that gap and restore public confidence in the district attorney’s office and their faith in us that we’re going to do what’s right in any given circumstance,” Higgins said.
Johnson: The 40-year prosecutor, who has worked as a chief assistant district attorney under more than one DA, believes it is his time to lead the agency. Johnson claims Higgins’ administration is not working collaboratively enough with local law enforcement and dismissing far too many cases. His prosecutorial philosophy, one which has earned him scorn from critics who say he cheated to win in murder trials, is one of working every case to its fullest extent, despite a cases’ warts.
“It’s wrong to put an innocent person in prison. That’s absolutely wrong. It’s just as wrong to let a guilty person go free, if there are other ways to handle their case,” Johnson said, “Because of the potential that they can kill somebody else or do something to somebody else.”
NEWS
Director addresses 911 center issues
Chatham County’s embattled 911 director spoke to a group of downtown Savannah residents this week, highlighting improvements the county has made to the emergency call center.
E911 Communications Director Diane Pinckney told the group of gathered residents on Tuesday evening that they have filled all their vacant call taker positions — whose only job is to answer 911 calls before routing the information to dispatchers — and are “over-hiring” to get eight call takers on each of center’s four shifts. Her agency is also now hiring for the first time a supervisor for the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, so that dispatchers will no longer work unsupervised and will not have to wait until the morning to speak with someone in management.
The 30+ year Chatham 911 veteran spoke to the Downtown Neighborhood Association amid increased complaints by residents of unanswered 911 calls and a 2023 survey by employees which says the 911 center under Pinckney is a toxic workplace.
Yes, but: While Pinckney highlighted some progress, she downplayed or evaded answering questions about the “abandoned call rate,” or emergency calls that go unanswered, at the center. Pinckney and a supervisor, whom she brought with her to the presentation, suggested a large amount of their abandoned calls were due to “butt dials” or mistakes by callers.
“Not all abandoned calls are from people calling in with an emergency. Sometimes it’s just you got the phone in your pocket,” 911 supervisor Claude Debnam told the crowd. “And it goes (unanswered) because we’re busy.”
According to news reports, there was a nearly 40% increase in abandoned calls between 2022 and 2023, according to news reports. Could there have been a nearly 40% increase in “butt dials” between 2022 and 2023? Pinckney later said that the center has no way to know if a call is a “butt dial” unless they call back and reach someone.
UPDATE FROM THE COURTROOM
Shooting of teenage Warnock canvasser
Barack Obama. John Lewis. Donald Trump. These figures were the political inspirations for Javontae Vann, 16, of Savannah that made him beg his mother to let him campaign for a political candidate.
In December 2022, he got the chance to canvas for his hometown political hero, Raphael Warnock, in the tight runoff election against Herschel Walker. But after he knocked at house in East Savannah, Vann was greeted not by a recalcitrant voter, but instead by a gunshot to the leg. The house’s occupant, Jimmy Paiz, believed the six-foot teenager was an intruder. Paiz has pleaded not guilty to felony assault and battery, and sought to argue in court this week that he was legally protected under Georgia’s Stand Your Ground law.
After hearing testimony from Vann, a Chatham County Superior Court judge rejected Paiz’s claim.
A reporter from The Current was in the courtroom: Read our story on the legal case, details on Vann and the decision from the judge.
Self-defense claim fails by man who shot Savannah teen canvassing for Warnock
The shooting of a Savannah teenager canvassing for Sen. Raphael Warnock’s 2022 runoff election can’t be considered self-defense, a Chatham County judge ruled on Monday.
Qualified candidates for 2024 elections in Coastal Georgia
Voters will choose candidates for nonpartisan posts on May 21 when they will choose partisan candidates for Nov. 5 election.
Chatham County board to vote on tax-exemption for riverside SCAD dorm
The building, rising next to the Savannah River bridge and bearing a lighted SCAD at the top of the facade, is valued at $27 million, according to the Chatham County Board of Assessors, which is scheduled to vote on the property tax exemption Thursday evening.
Meet the candidates: Schedule public appearances, forums
This a live list, updated as information becomes available for Coastal Georgia.
Energy regulators approve Ga. Power agreement
Georgia Power now has sign-off from state regulators to expand a power plant and buy more electricity from other utilities to serve an influx of businesses like data centers and factories.
Chatham’s 911 center is a toxic workplace, employees say
A workplace survey by Chatham County 911 employees takes aim at poor equipment and leadership, causing the center to become a toxic place to work and worsening short staffing.
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