Savannah sees major crimes decrease, drug problems rise
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SAVANNAH, Tenn. — Based on a new report on crime in 2014, police in Savannah said the city saw a decrease in major crimes by nearly 18 percent. “It highlighted days and times where we can put more emphasis to try and reduce crime and traffic crashes,” Savannah Police Chief Gary Will Jr. said. The data shows major crimes are down from 2013. Savannah Mayor Bob Shutt said, “I am excited about our new chief. He has some new ideas to make our department even better.” Chief Will, who was not hired until last October, said he cannot take the credit but is pleased. Now, he said he would like to see the same downturn in abuse of prescription drugs with new programs he hopes will help. One of the things the department is doing to help stop the prescription drug problem is providing boxes for community members to come and drop off unneeded prescription drugs. That box is available inside the police department Monday through Friday to drop off medications. “About 25 percent of our thefts are prescription drugs. So, if we can get those that aren’t needed out of people’s homes, it reduces that,” Chief Will said. Another piece of the report showed citizens are most likely to have a crash on Friday afternoon. That is also when the most crimes occur, which could mean a shift in manpower.
