Joseph “Jack” Lumpkin will take over as chief of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department on Nov. 9.
What does that jurisdiction look like?
There’s obviously the Historic District, often teeming with tourists and routinely home to special events.
Within the Historic District, the nightlife on River Street and in the City Market area attracts a variety of visitors and locals, including members of the military, college students and a broad spectrum of others. It’s an exciting but sometimes volatile mix.
Lumpkin will also find a city dotted with neighborhoods struggling with persistent violent crime. Some of those neighborhoods are in the midst of dramatic and destabilizing demographic changes that are not well understood by city leaders.
And then there’s the rest — the neighborhoods within the city and across unincorporated Chatham County that have considerably less crime and more stability. Despite the strength of those neighborhoods, many residents don’t feel that the SCMPD is really there for them. Many don’t think they’re getting the protection for which they’re paying.
Given his sheer breadth of experience, including as chief of a vibrant college town like Athens, Lumpkin seems well prepared to deal with these various geographies and constituencies.
What are the most pressing needs?
Many commentators around town think Lumpkin should focus on building up the integrity of the force and on reducing violent crime. No disagreement here. Those goals will require sustained, long-term efforts.
But Lumpkin should also deal proactively with a couple of pressing items that could interfere with those goals and impact his tenure.
While city and county officials may eventually agree on the extension of the decade-old police department merger, the negotiations to this point have led to unnecessary polarization.
Simply put, it looks like the city is going to have to give up something to keep the merger in place — maybe relinquish a measure of control, make a new commitment to service in unincorporated areas or agree to a change in the funding formula.
Lumpkin should encourage his new boss Stephanie Cutter to seal the deal sooner rather than later.
Contentious, protracted negotiations about the merger agreement will make it far more difficult to rebuild the integrity of the department and will likely hurt morale and retention.
Right out of the gate, Chief Lumpkin needs to get to know community leaders in west Savannah, especially in the neighborhood where Charles Smith was shot to death by a police officer in September.
If anger or frustration flares, a good working relationship with neighborhood activists could be critical.
Keeping the focus on violent crime
Chief Lumpkin will need to keep the officers under him and the city administration above him focused on crime reduction that really counts.
And that means taking back the streets, however trite that may sound.
As I’ve argued here before, Savannah needs to quit tolerating street-level drug dealing and prostitution on the same blocks day after day, night after night.
I’ve been told often that it isn’t worth the time for officers to confront or arrest drug dealers and prostitutes. So is it better to let them have the run of some neighborhoods, with johns and addicts constantly coming and going?
How can we make a serious stand against violent crime or promote neighborhood stability when law enforcement ignores the most blatant forms of criminality?
Also, we need to be exploring as many avenues as possible so victims and witnesses feel like they will be protected if they file crime reports.
If we can’t turn the tide on a few key problems like these, we’ll continue to see some neighborhoods deteriorate even as much of Savannah prospers. It’s a sad prospect.
Lessons from another college town
As the longtime Athens chief, Lumpkin should know how few problems are created by allowing 18- to 20-year-olds into live music venues that serve alcohol. Unnecessarily limiting the rights of young adults creates animosity toward government officials, including the police, and fuels a culture of unregulated house shows.
As has been noted multiple times in this column, upper level bureaucrats in Savannah’s city government want to ban most legal adults aged 18 to 20 after 10 p.m. from restaurants that serve alcohol.
With his experiences in a college town, Lumpkin perhaps has real authority to speak on that issue and on other issues related to Savannah’s vibrant nightlife.
City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.