Jan 08, 2025
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) - More than $250,000 is likely to be allocated to new cameras for the Savannah Police Department at Thursday's city council meeting. SPD told News 3 these cameras would be placed throughout the city in areas that are considered high traffic, not necessarily just high crime. "Where crowds are beginning, fights are breaking out, things like that, we can start directing officers and then telling them what's happening prior to getting there rather than getting a 911 call and then coming in not knowing what you're rolling into," Savannah Police Department Assistant Chief Robert Gavin, said. According to Gavin, the cameras would be a tool to allow officers to come into any given situation armed with not just a gun, but a plan. "It's to try and start to mitigate some of those things before they get to the point where someone's shooting," he said. Savannah Police didn't share the exact location where the 71 proposed cameras would be, but some general locations include Baker Street Park and properties that are operated by the Housing Authority of Savannah (HAS). Properties operated by HAS are reserved for low-income residents, senior citizens, and the disabled. "They're in areas that we know have had issues with violent crime in the past, but they're also in areas where there's traffic issues, areas where there are other types of issues," Gavin said. If proposal does in fact pass, the money would come from the governor's Public Safety and Community Violence Reduction Grant Program. "They'll pass," Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said. "We have committed as a council that our police department will have everything we need. That's a variety of things. So, it's not only making sure we have the best trained, most competent personnel, but also that they have the technology that they need to be able to do their job." Ultimately, Gavin told News 3 the goal for SPD is to save lives. "If someone does do something wrong, it's evidentiary information we can use to get people off the streets faster," he said. "We saw with the shooting down in Ellis Square, cameras were key in brining all those people to justice." If you have concerns about cameras being put up in your neighborhood, SPD said the cameras will not be pointed at individual homes, only public spaces.
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