Mayor Johnson weighs in on SPD’s use of force policy

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Mayor Van Johnson shared his frustration after the two Savannah Police officer-involved shootings in June. The first happened on June 17 on Ogeechee Road — the second on June 30 on Victory Drive.

He spoke about the most recent shooting and shared his curiosity as to why a convicted felon, 31-year-old Gregory Griffin, had a gun in the first place.

“I remain frustrated with the whole situation,” he said, adding that he’s thankful none of those officers were hurt.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Savannah Police recognized Griffin as a suspect in a homicide investigation in Chatham County. There was a short chase with Griffin driving on the wrong side of Victory Drive, hitting another car and then running.

Officers went after him, and that’s when police say Griffin pulled out a gun and started shooting. Those officers returned fire.

Johnson says he’ll leave it up to the GBI investigators to decide if it was appropriate for those officers to use deadly force.

“You play deadly games, you win deadly prizes,” the mayor said.

The Savannah Police Department (SPD) has a pursuit and a use of force policy. Pursuits are justified if an officer believes the offender has or is going to commit a forcible felony, and if the need to apprehend them outweighs the level of danger of the pursuit.

The policy goes on to say use of force is used to maintain or restore order and should never be used maliciously or sadistically.

Johnson says those policies are crystal clear.

“It is something that we train on. It is something that is drilled into officers to make it muscle memory about knowing when it is appropriate to use deadly force,” he said. “As I’ve said always, we will wait until the facts are known. If our officers were justified in their use of force, if they acted within training and within policy, we’re going to stand and support our officers. If the evidence and findings indicate they acted outside of policy and outside training, then of course, we would want them to be able to face accountability for their actions.”

Griffin is recovering in the hospital.

You can view SPD’s pursuit and use of force policies below.