SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Residents are asking for answers from the Savannah Police Department (SPD) after the department stopped using Broadcastify back in May.
Broadcastify is an online source of public safety scanner traffic.
When asked why SPD discontinued their use, a spokesperson wrote, "The Savannah Police Department deemed the resources it took to manage/maintain the service were not justified by the small number of users. We therefore made the decision to discontinue the service. Public information on SPD activities can alternatively be found on our numerous social media platforms and our mobile app."
The residents who once relied on the service are now taking matters into their own hands. Diana McGaw created a Facebook page called Savannah Signal 7 for neighbors to piece together what was going on in their neighborhood.
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McGaw is a mother, who lives in Baldwin Park. She says she would log on to Broadcastify any time she heard gunshots or saw police activity in the area, which she says is far too often.
"We have seen some scary stuff off and on in our neighborhood," McGaw said. "We've had big shootouts right in front of our house. We have gunshots that have gone to our car through my kids' playroom. It's been a lot."
Even though there was a 15-minute delay for officer safety, McGaw says her neighbors appreciated the option of logging on to Broadcastify.
"It was like a lifeline for the neighbors, you know, just to find out what was going on around our neighborhood," she said.
While aggravated assaults are down compared to this time last year, homicide and rape are up, according to the latest report from SPD.
"The amount of gun violence in Savannah is untenable, and the residents are suffering for sure," McGaw said. "We want to find out, what are the bad blocks to stay away from? Should we maybe not get the kids in the car right now and drive in that direction? It's important from a public safety standpoint for residents in Savannah to have access to know what is going on in our community."
While McGaw did applaud SPD's use of X and other social media platforms, she and her neighbors are still calling for the department to start back their use of Broadcastify.