Savannah's Violent Crime Rate Climbs 8.8 Percent

Figures released by the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department show violent crime up 8.8 percent for 2014 over the previous year.

Police say robberies and shootings account for most of those crimes. The city saw 32 homicides in 2014, two more than the previous year. The number of rapes climbed from 49 to 64.

Property crime nudged up less than a point, with the overall crime rate rising 1.3 percent.

Police chief Jack Lumpkin, who just marked 60 days on the job, calls the violence “unacceptable.” In a news release, he says he is renewing his call for community policing and more collaboration with the public to solve crimes.

He says nearly all of the shootings involve people who knew each other.

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