The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crimes Task Force conducted 21 felony and 41 misdemeanor arrests Jan. 6-9 as part of an initiative focused on local crime prevention through the removal of violent offenders, drugs and illegal weapons, said police spokesperson Sonny Cohrs.
The 21 felony arrests consisted of five possessions of firearm by convicted felon, six parole/probation violations, four felony warrants, one possession of a controlled substance, two possessions of marijuana with intent to distribute, one fleeing to elude, one theft by receiving a stolen automobile, and one charge of tampering with evidence.
Of the arrests made for felony warrants, there were four served for aggravated assault, one for aggravated battery, and one for shoplifting, said Cohrs. Additionally, there were 128 traffic citations, 84 field interviews, 12 firearms seized and two stolen vehicles were recovered.
Members of the task force reconvene periodically to identify and conduct targeted patrols of the jurisdiction’s most active areas to deter and remove high-risk individuals and situations that could endanger the public.
The task force had assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Chatham County District Attorney's Office, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.
The task force also had officers from all five SCMPD precincts, Savannah Impact Program, its Undercover Narcotics Investigation Team, the Savannah Area Regional Intelligence Center, precinct investigators, aviation, K-9, traffic, patrol officers and the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.