Savannah Police report fewer arrests during St. Patrick's Day weekend

Drew Favakeh, Savannah Morning News
·3 min read

Before the 199th anniversary Savannah St. Patrick's Day, law enforcement expected a large turnout of partiers, which prompted them to increase police presence.

But after the parade, the Savannah Police Department (SPD) reported low arrest numbers during the parade.

According to an SPD press release, the department only made 12 arrests in the event zone ― the fewest arrests it's made in the past four years.

"The low arrest totals from this year can be attributed to the more family friendly changes the City of Savannah has made to the annual event, the hard work and long hours worked by Savannah Police Department officers, the support from public safety partners and City of Savannah staff, and the collaboration with local businesses and community organizations," said SPD Chief Lenny Gunther.

The Savannah Police Department starts the annual Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade on Friday March 17, 2023.
The Savannah Police Department starts the annual Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade on Friday March 17, 2023.

In comparison, SPD made 17 arrests in 2022, 33 in 2019, 20 in 2018 and 54 in 2017. These totals do not include arrests made by SPD’s Traffic Unit or Georgia State Patrol.

Targeting policing nets drug arrests

There were no arrests made by SPD or any other visiting law enforcement during the parade. Instead, the arrests made in the event zone over the two-day parade period were all the result of SPD undercover operations.

Six of the 12 arrests made in the event zone were conducted by SPD's Strategic Investigations Unit (SIU), and all six involved drug-related charges. On March 17, undercover officers conducted an operation that resulted in the arrest of four men and the seizure of 3.9 grams of cocaine, 104.8 grams of marijuana and a stolen handgun. On March 18, undercover officers conducted a similar operation that resulted in the arrest of two men and the seizure of 36.5 grams of cocaine, 1.4 grams of Ecstasy (MDMA) and 31 grams of psilocybin (mushrooms).

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Busy year for emergency responders

Emergency personnel, on the other hand, reported one of its busiest parades in years. While SPD made fewer arrests, Chatham Emergency Services (EMS) "saw one of one of the busiest St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival weekends for EMS calls to date," according to a Chatham EMS press release.

In total, Chatham EMS responded to 83 calls from Thursday through Saturday, and made 47 hospital transports ― most of which took place during the Friday parade. The six most common EMS responses were for the following: falls, unresponsive patient, assaults, alcohol-related, seizures, and diabetic emergencies.

Chatham Fire responded to 41 total incidents.

Georgia State Patrol (GSP) and SPD officers conducted traffic enforcement outside of the event zone on both days. GSP made 48 DUI arrests, and SPD officers made four DUI arrests.

Twelve establishments cited for serving

The SPD Alcohol Beverage Compliance (ABC) Unit conducted checks and undercover operations at 44 businesses from March 17-18. Of those, 12 failed the operation. The managers or licensees were notified of the alcohol sold, that the buyer was underage, if the offender checked for ID, how the alcohol was served/sold/given to the buyer, and the actions taken by law enforcement after identifying the violation. Among those establishments notified:

  • Chili’s, 7805 Abercorn St.

  • Chevron, 7203 Abercorn St.

  • Savannah Beverage Mart, 8614 White Bluff Road

  • Quick Stop, 9137 White Bluff Road

  • Stop 'N' Go, 11204 White Bluff Road

  • Olympia Café, 5 River St.

  • Jalapenos, 7 E Broughton St.

  • Doubletree Hotel Savannah, 417 W. Bay St.

  • The Bar Bar, 2 W. Julian St.

  • Shiv’s, 1713 E. Victory Drive

  • Dockside Seafood, 201 W River St.

  • Water Witch, 2220 Bull St.

Although arrests were lower than past years, tow trucks removed more vehicles from the parade route prior to the start of this year's parade than last year. This year, tow trucks removed 58 vehicles from the parade route, compared to 42 vehicles in 2022.

Drew Favakeh is the public safety reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@savannahnow.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Police experience drop in St. Patrick's weekend arrests