Is Savannah more dangerous than Atlanta? Yes, according to the latest numbers (2024)

You're more likely to be the victim of an aggravated assault in Savannah than in Atlanta, according to data collected by WJCL.In Georgia, an aggravated assault is defined as an assault with the intent to murder, rape or rob another person. The assault may involve the use of a deadly weapon. The Savannah Police Department told WJCL so far this year, the aggravated assault rate in the Hostess City is 397 per 100,000.Below file video: 'We were just afraid': Parents speak out following shooting at Savannah athletic complexWJCL pulled data from the Atlanta Police Department to see how they compare. We divided this year's number of aggravated assaults in the city by Atlanta's population and multiplied by 100,000. We found Atlanta's aggravated assault rate is 365 per 100,000. Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter told WJCL the violent crime rate is actually down 2% from where it was last year. He said the department is doing everything it can to curb violent crime."We continue to have that focus in three specific areas that I believe will continue make a difference in reducing crime in our community. That's continue to look at problem individuals, problem places and locations, and continue to focus on community based intelligence that we're seeing," Chief Minter said.RELATEDChild shootings in Savannah, Garden City, Port Royal, Rincon. When will the violence end?Police in Savannah investigating after pair of 8-year-old boys discover loaded gun in public parkPolice: Savannah 12-year-old child uses stolen gun to shoot older teenA lot of the violent crime this year has involved young people."That's very troubling," Chief Minter said.Last month, Savannah police said an 18-year-old shot and killed a 14-year-old on Emerald Drive. Chief Minter told WJCL the department has been partnering with community organizations to get to the root of the problem."We are continuing to talk to our community partners, our civic groups, individual organizations like Parent University and some of the fraternities and sororities in the area, those organizations that are specifically youth focused, and continuing to seeing what we can do and what they can do in partnership with us to continue to have an impact on these young peoples lives," Chief Minter said.Moving forward, Minter said the department needs the community's help to stop this trend in its tracks."We realize we are not going to arrest ourselves out of a crime issue, but together as a strong community, we can continue to move forward in addressing these types of issues and continue create a safer community," he said.So far this year, there have been 25 reported homicides in Savannah. That's up one from this same time last year. Chief Minter said 80% of those homicides have been cleared. To put that into context, the national average for clearance is 60%.The chief also told WJCL the department has been active in seizing guns. They confiscated 80 this past summer. 18 of those guns were reported stolen. Below file video: Savannah Police Chief says youth gun violence needs to be addressed