Crime Rate in Savannah and surrounding areas (Atlanta, Pooler: credit, hotel)

[R Marshall]

I was just reading a link someone kindly supplied regarding the employment situation in Savannah. Upon further reading of the site it seems that Savannah has a crime problem which is unusually high for its population. In one article I read that on Saturday morning alone a couple was held up at gun point getting out of their car at their hotel on W. Bay, a man was shot in the leg walking his dog, two women had their purses stolen at gun point and finally a pizza delivery guy was held up for $10 and a pizza by two very young men. In addition on Friday a credit union was held up by 3 men brandishing guns. After reading this I did some research and according to stats Savannah's crime rate in most all crime categories was above national stats. Is the crime occurring in a localized area of the city or is it the city as a whole? Is this the case for the smaller suburban communities surrounding the city?

I would appreciate responses from those of you who reside in this area.

Thank You.

[Southside Shrek]

I don't think anyone who lives in Savannah wants to post a negative piece about this beautiful and historical city. When we were there last June staying at the Holiday Inn on Bay Street, there was a strong police presence in and around the hotel. that suggested a 'crime problem'. when I asked someone at the hotel about it, there was a denial of any crime problem.

[alissandrya]

Savannah, like any city has crime in the downtown areas. Riverstreet and the historical section of Savannah are also right on top of the poorer (sometimes much poorer) sections of the city. You drive through some terrible poverty stricken parts of the community before hitting the historical areas and River Street, where most tourists are. The rest of Savannah, on the southside, is true southern suburbia. Lots of subdivisions, malls and fast food.

Much of the crime is localized to the poorer areas of the city, and tends to be gang and drug related crime. I love Savannah, and really, those of us who live here, do not find it to be an unsafe place at all.

[atlantagreg30127]

I know some folks who moved to Savannah a little over a year ago. Overall they do like it, but sometimes when we talk they have mentioned the crime problem saying to the effect, "It's like a small version of Atlanta".

Without causing a heated discussion on race, I'll just point out a few things. Crime can happen ANYWHERE, but if you look at crime stats, in recent years you tend to see a larger than normal percentage of crime in cities that have a large young black male population with higher poverty and high unemployment among this group. Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, Washington DC, and on a smaller scale, cities like Savannah - all have a very large black populations. They also have higher poverty rates - with higher than the national average rate of crime.

Much of this crime in many of these cities is what the media or police will call "black on black" crime (drug deals gone bad, domestic, etc), but in a city like Savannah where you have a huge tourist industry, that crime will leak over into the tourist areas (muggings, car theft, etc). The majority will be later in the evening, at night, when clubs are closing, and in the higher density tourist areas. Just learn where/what/when to avoid, and like anywhere else, you'll reduce your chances of being a victim.

[R Marshall]

Thank you for the information. As I stated we are not intending to live downtown at all but in the suburbs....suburbia is all I know. Just wanted to know what areas to avoid and when. I do understand crime is everyone but when new to an area you want to know ahead of time. instead of finding out the hard way.

[RichCapeCod]

My wife and I spent some time in Savanna as we are interested in a winter place to hide from Cape Cod weather. Savanna is a very lovely city that has an unfortunately dismal and intractable crime problem (deep social problems, which have evolved in well over a century of time, require generations and strong will to correct). The historic district –a tourist attractive area– is surrounded by deep poverty. Criminals are smart and know where the money is, thus street predators will enter into the up-scale part of the city in search of prey. Some unpleasant situations have occurred. There are areas outside of Savanna proper that appear much safer, plus a few high-end gated communities (The Landings is one) which might interest you.

[nadousonge]

I think the best solution to lower the crime rate and to get these people out of the city is to get police involve 24-7 around the area that has most crime. One way or the other these people will start getting tired and just leave.

[cpowers21]

Savannah has it's spots. The southside is close to everything and isn't like some parts of Savannah. The West Chatham area (Pooler, Port Wenworth, and part of Bloomingdale) is a good area. There's a lot of building going on here and in South Effingham County, which is another good place to go. The schools in Chatham County are hit or miss. The islands, southside, and most of west chatham are the better schools. South effingham school are good no matter where you are.

[ellie]

Originally Posted by nadousonge

I think the best solution to lower the crime rate and to get these people out of the city is to get police involve 24-7 around the area that has most crime. One way or the other these people will start getting tired and just leave.

As much as I love reading fresh solutions, just where do you propose that criminals should go? One of the reasons that we have pockets of high crime is largely because people can't afford to leave. The poor in these neighborhoods are statistically less likely to vote, there is a higher unemployment rate, lower level of education, and a higher rate of single parent families. Many poor people have given up on the system which is supposed to protect them. They are afraid to call the police when they see a crime because they are afraid of retribution.

And yes, saturation by the police in high crime areas helps to some degree, but when the criminals move, it's usually to another less observed neighborhood. It rarely stops.

And I've observed that most criminals are portable. They drive from neighborhood to neighborhood. There is a network and a system of streets that most Savannahians are completely unaware of. There are really two cities. It divides largely on racial lines, but it is not that simple. I've personally observed white men from surrounding counties coming into fringe neighborhoods in Savannah to buy and sell drugs with black drug dealers.

There are probably as many white drug users and petty criminals as black, but the wealthier you are and the more complete your family structure is, the more likely you are to have ways to get yourself out of your troubles.

The solution goes far deeper than good police protection. I truly believe that most police officers are doing their best but it's like putting a bandaid on a major wound.

[RichCapeCod]

Originally Posted by nadousonge

I think the best solution to lower the crime rate and to get these people out of the city is to get police involve 24-7 around the area that has most crime. One way or the other these people will start getting tired and just leave.

I have been in law enforcement for over thirty-seven years. The old adage, “There’s never a cop around when you need one,” is wrong. It should more accurately read, “When a cop is around, you don’t need one.” Throwing additional officers into a high crime area will have limited impact. As another poster stated, criminals (opportunistic predators is a more apt term) are mobile. You cannot change difficult societal situations simply or cheaply. It will take generations for the deep rooted poverty seen around Savannah’s historic district to dissipate.

There are ways to protect citizens (and, in so doing, a city’s economic well being). This requires a greater level of sophistication in dealing with Savannah’s problems then I am aware is being utilized by those in charge of the city at this time.