The Savannah City Council was generally supportive of a proposal to supplement the Savannah-Chatham police department using unpaid reserve officers during a workshop Thursday morning. They did have some concerns about the proposal that came up after more than an hour of questioning Chief Willie Lovett and other proponents of the plan.
Lovett said that the plan would increase human resources for the city at a minimal cost. The only expense would be the upfront cost to equip the officers, expected to amount to about $6,800 per individual, Lovett said.
Initially, Lovett expects to employ 30 to 35 reserve officers and eventually increase the number to 50, he sid.
Alderman John Hall was concerned after learning that the officers would only be used in the city, which would be funding the program.
City Manager Stephanie Cutter said the program would still benefit residents outside city limits because the reserve officers could cover large events downtown instead of having to shift those fulltime officers from the unincorporated area of the county. The reserve officers will also have the ability to make arrests outside city limits if they do witness a crime, Lovett said.
Alderman Tony Thomas was concerned that the reserve officers would take away off-duty security work from fulltime officers. One of the benefits for signing up to the reserve force is the ability to work such jobs.
Lovett said officers can only work off-duty 20 hours a week and that there is currently not enough supply to meet demand. He said he would look into the possibility of requiring that fulltime officers get priority when it comes to off-duty work.
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