Eleven new officers patrol our streets today after a pinning ceremony on July 26.
I was honored to be asked to deliver the keynote address to the new officers, their families, and the other officers who work tirelessly to make our community safer.
It was encouraging to see the tenured officers lining the room as the new officers raised their right hand to make the pledge that will change their lives forever. I was humbled by their service to our community.
Since I was asked to speak on behalf of my involvement with tourism, I shared with the crowd how being a police officer here is different than in most cities.
Not only are they charged with protecting and serving the thousands who call this area home, they will also protect and serve the 12 million guests who visit every year. That’s more people than the entire population of New York City.
It’s undoubtedly a big responsibility that our Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police take on every day.
Serving in the hotel business, I have seen police officers serve our guests in a gracious and kind way.
One time in particular, I was working in a hotel where a young, newlywed couple was staying for their honeymoon.
After a night on the town, the woman frantically entered the hotel lobby and announced that she and her husband had been robbed at gunpoint.
Her husband had chased after the gunman—foolish to say the least.
I called the police. Within minutes, officers were gathering information and coming up with a plan to find the gunmen. They were compassionate and showed genuine concern for the young lady—who was very worried about the safety of her husband.
Moments after the police had arrived, the young man returned with her tattered handbag and a story that he had found the men responsible and retrieved the purse. While the police went in search of the alleged robbers, one of the officers asked the husband to join him at his squad car. I went along for support.
The officer told the man that he is now a husband and can empathize with his situation; however, he was more valuable to his new bride alive than the purse she may or may not recover.
The teaching moment was followed by good news. The game plan for the police to find the alleged robbers worked. They caught the two suspects that night.
Overall, what could have turned out to be a bad situation for the guests at my hotel turned into a true hero’s story of the police keeping the streets safe and educating the public on how to handle future events.
Ideally, the robbery would have never taken place. Ideally, crime would not exist in our beautiful city. Ideally, our police officers would have more time to build relationships opposed to build cases.
Savannah and Chatham County have a big charge to take care of us, the citizens and take care of the visitors who make up the second largest industry.
I stand with hundreds of tourism industry professionals who want to say thank you—to the eleven new officers, to all of their counterparts who have been working the Savannah and Chatham County streets, and for all of the people that take pride in making our city safer.