I first heard the credible rumors of Chief Willie Lovett’s impending departure early on Thursday evening, and then saw that the Savannah Morning News was already reporting on them too. The news became official on Friday at about 5:30 p.m.: SCMPD Chief Willie Lovett has retired.
Since he’s 63 and has been with the department for 40 years, Lovett has earned that word “retirement”, even though it seems there is still an untold story that we’ll learn more about later.
From the Savannah Morning News’ lead article today:
Lovett’s retirement comes on the heels of some recent allegations against him and questions about the credibility of some officers.
Two police captains recently alleged that Lovett denied them promotion to the rank of major because they are not white. […]
An officer has also accused Lovett of sexual harassment, according to a memo Cutter sent to the mayor and city council on Sept. 20. Cutter said the city has received a complaint about Lovett and will be investigating the matter, in a memo regarding his retirement. […]
It also recently came to light that federal and state prosecutors, including Chatham County District Attorney Meg Heap, are refusing to prosecute any cases involving two active Savannah-Chatham police officers apparently in response to credibility concerns.
I’ve never even officially met Chief Lovett, but I have broadly respected the work he has done since taking over the top spot after the rather sudden departure of the previous chief.
In an upcoming City Talk column, I’ll have more to say about the job facing the interim team leading the department, and I’ll almost certainly chime in at some point with my thoughts on the search process for a new chief.
But here I just want to note the peculiar tension around town regarding some key municipal leadership positions like the police chief.
For jobs like this, do we want local folks with long histories here or out-of-towners who might bring some fresh perspective and expertise?
When Willie Lovett was given the top spot permanently, there was a clear rift around town between those who saw nothing but small town cronyism and those who were glad to see a dedicated Savannahian in a key post.
Some of those in the latter camp were and are pretty defensive when it comes to any change in the city, but many of those same people who are suspicious of outsiders also complain bitterly about Savannah’s high crime rate and other nagging issues.
Only one thing will make both those satisfy both camps: success.
And, despite some legitimate public concerns and tough questions, it seems clear that under Lovett we’ve continued on a trend toward less overall crime in the city.
So now do we look for more leadership from within, since there are no doubt some talented public servants already in the department, like those that are part of the interim team detailed in the article?
Or do we look for leadership from outside?
My first reaction is that it seems pretty clear that we would benefit from someone from the outside. If there are narcotics investigations of officers and concerns about racial discrimination in the department, maybe we need someone who will bring fresh eyes and a fresh perspective.
If there really is an unstated (or perhaps even occasionally and illegally stated) policy of having a certain number of white majors and a certain number of black majors, maybe it will take someone from outside to shake up the department’s racial politics.
Maybe it will take someone from outside to see how solvable certain problems are. For example, if there are drug dealers and prostitutes on Jefferson Street corners day and night, we can do some things — immediately — to discourage them. We don’t need to put up with it as local law enforcement has done for decades.
As crime has generally decreased in certain urban areas and somewhat increased in some suburban areas, maybe we need a set of fresh eyes at the top to look at the county map the way it is now and not the way it has been for decades.
Maybe I’ll change my mind in the coming weeks and months as we see the performance of the interim leadership and as we see the qualifications of some of the finalists for the top spot, but it looks like right now that the city and county would most benefit from brand new leadership from outside.