Law-abiding citizens are shaking their heads over the increase in shootings in Savannah.

In recent weeks, scarcely a day has gone by without a report being issued by Savannah Chatham Metro Police of yet another shooting on city streets. Residents in even the most respectable neighborhoods report hearing gunfire nearby.

It's not just Savannah that has been impacted. In the most recent case, police announced they were searching for a 17-year-old suspect who is believed to have holed up in Savannah after he and three others shot at a crowd gathered in a public park in Statesboro.

It's not just shootings that are keeping police busy. The number of false police reports is on the rise, resulting in a waste of precious money and resources.

Since October, the Metro Police Robbery Unit has uncovered eight fictitious robbery cases where a robbery was reported that never actually occurred. In some cases the would-be victim loses money after gambling or spends it and calls police after coming up with a false armed robbery story.

In one case handled by Metro Police, two co-workers decided to rob their employer. While one was working the cash register, the other would come by on his day off to rob it.
In another case, a man and woman agreed to have sex for a certain amount of money. The man paid, but the woman demanded more money. When the man refused to pay, she called police and said he had robbed her at gunpoint.

It's enough to make a person think the whole world has gone crazy.

What is going on? To find out, Connect Savannah recently spoke with Apo. Gene Harley of the SCMP Public Affairs Office.

Why are there so many shootings lately?

Gene Harley: It's not all that uncommon. At times we do have unusual sprees of shootings within a couple of days.

Our shootings are all the same in the sense that they're targeted shootings where one group is going after another. What we do not have is a random shooter out there.

These are disputes among separate groups. One group goes and shoots at someone in the other group, and the other group comes back in retaliation.

Is this a gang problem?

Gene Harley: It's not necessarily gangs. We don't have a gang problem in Savannah. We have small little groups or cliques that get in disputes, typically in the same neighborhood.

It may start out with a physical assault, like a fight. It can escalate to a shooting, sometimes over drugs, sometimes over a girlfriend.

Are these all young people doing these crimes?

Gene Harley: In a lot of cases, these are younger people, which is the reason we're doing a push, going after juveniles with criminal histories. We're not trying put juveniles in jail, but rather we're trying to rehabilitate them, show them there are other options than shooting or fighting.

Many are under the misconception that they won't do time because they're a juvenile. Some are tried as adults, and are now doing time as adults.

What's being done to get guns off the streets?

Gene Harley: This year we added more officers to the street and have several special units that are seeing a higher increase in cases where guns are being seized. We're starting a new unit with detectives solely committed to gun crimes.

These detectives go back over every single case and do a thorough background check. Since we started the unit, we've made quite a number of arrests.

We also have one officer who's assigned to Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as a task-force officer. He takes cases where weapons were used in what could transfer to a federal case and a tougher sentence for the offender.

How are criminals getting guns?

Gene Harley: We have problems where people do a straw purchase. They know someone who's a convicted felon, and go with them to buy a handgun. They have a clean record, so they can get the gun and give it to the felon.

What can the public do to help police?

Gene Harley: The biggest thing is to record the serial numbers on your guns. If you opt to carry a firearm in your car, make sure you lock it. We have a lot of cars that get broken into and the gun's sitting there in plain sight.

Lastly, any time you think someone is in possession of an illegal gun, call us. Some people are afraid to call because they don't know if the gun is legal or not. If you are suspicious, call us.

What's going on with the false reports?

Gene Harley: We were having a huge increase in people making false reports of crimes, including robberies and rapes. People have many reasons for making false reports.

We've had persons who were robbed while buying drugs. A detective tries to trace an elaborate story that is false. Several days later, the person admits they were lying about the whole thing, so the officer spent time and resources on something that is bogus.

Is it true that people report cars stolen when they aren't?

Gene Harley: Yes. There are cases where people go to the public boat ramp and say they were backing out their boat and the car rolled into the water. When we dive to the car, we see that the sound system and speakers are already taken out.

We've had people go and do things to get insurance money, or they do what's called a crack rental. An addict opts to let someone else use his car for some type of drug, and when that person doesn't come back, he calls police. Instead of telling the truth, he comes up with some elaborate story that he was robbed.

What happens to people who file a false report?

Gene Harley: It's a felony. The actual charge is False Statement in Writing. If convicted they can get a fine of $1,000 or be imprisoned not less than one nor more than five years or both.

On top of that, they can be sued by the city for the lost resources. This is especially true in cases where people falsely claim a rape.

We have problems with teenagers staying out all night. Because they don't want mom and dad mad, they make up a story that they were kidnapped and raped. The costs incurred may include testing done at a hospital or the GBI crime lab.

We obviously want to help you and we're here to do so, but at the same time, we're not here as scapegoats. Call us if you need us, but don't call us if you're just trying to stay out of trouble.