As Lenny Gunther, a military and 21-year law enforcement veteran, steps into the role of interim police chief of the Savannah Police Department, he confronts a persistent officer shortage, documented low morale, increasing gun and gang violence, and an agency grappling with the aftermath of multiple police shootings.
“I think in any crisis, there's an opportunity,” said Gunther in his first sit-down interview with the Savannah Morning News.
The 46-year-old Gunther, who served as assistant police chief under Roy Minter, who resigned in July to focus on his nomination to the U.S. Marshals Service, has seen his fair share of challenges during his more than two decades with the department, from leadership changes to mergers and separations.
Credit: Kyunnie Shuman/City of Savannah
Credit: Kyunnie Shuman/City of Savannah
According to his SPD personnel file, Gunther joined the force on Jan. 5, 2001, five years after moving to Savannah. He grew up in New York's Bronx borough and attended college at Oswego University in New York, but he considers himself a Savannahian.
“Not only being with this police department for 21 years, but also living in Savannah for about 26 years, gives me a unique perspective and outlook on Savannah,” Gunther said. “I came here as a young man, in my 20s. Being 46 and the police chief now, you have to have your finger on the pulse when it comes to the community.”
Career trajectory
From 1996 to 2004, Gunther served in the U.S. Army Reserves with the 429th medical battalion.
For nearly three years prior to joining SPD, Gunther worked as a corrections officer with the Coastal State Prison. There, according to his resume, he ensured "the security of the backgate and [prevented] the introduction of the contraband.”
During his time at SPD, Gunther has served in multiple roles and divisions, including the Crime Suppression Unit, the Homicide Unit, Training Unit, Internal Affairs, Savannah Regional Intelligence Center, Gang and Gun Investigations Unit, Violent Crimes Task Force, End Gun Violence Initiative. He also served as the captain overseeing the Southside Precinct and the major in charge of the Criminal Investigations Division.
Gunther was promoted to assistant chief on July 25, 2019. In that role, he oversaw the department’s field operations bureau, “heading the department’s efforts and initiatives to continuously reduce crime.”
Most of the positive reviews from his supervisors tout his ability to communicate with peers and subordinates, resolve conflicts and work with teams, skill that may help to bridge some of the challenges his predecessor faced in a 77-officer complaint filed in April 2020 and exacerbated over Minter's brief tenure.
Credit: Alex Arango / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Alex Arango / For Savannah Morning News
Shootings: 'Listen to concerns'
During the interview, Gunther declined to speak specifically on any police-involved shooting, citing ongoing separate Georgia Bureau of Investigation and SPD inquiries, but he did speak broadly on the police-involved shootings, saying he will take a closer look at investing in training for officers.
“It's not a time to just sit back and be stagnant," said Gunther.
The community's response to the police-involved shootings has been notable. It includes a march from Carver Village, where a man was shot and killed in late June by an SPD officer, to City Hall. During that march, the Racial Justice Network and supporters called for the resignation of the Minter as well as Mayor Van Johnson. Another press conference saw the leader of the local RJN chapter, Pastor Alan Mainor, call for a revamped citizen's review board. At a recent state capital visit, the Racial Justice Network members asked the Department of Justice to investigate the city and the police department.
Of the community's response to the city's police-involved shootings, Gunther said, "I think it behooves us as a department, as a police chief to listen to those concerns. The law enforcement profession has changed within the last two and a half years, pre-pandemic, now to post-pandemic, post-civil, social justice, racial justice movements, and calls for reform. When you peel away the layers, you have to understand we have some validity to some concerns."
He added, "We have to recognize that anytime there is a loss of life that has impacted, hurts the victim's family, hurts the community, and hurts the department. We have to do everything that we can to listen to those concerns and provide feedback when we can and how we can move forward together."
Vacancies: 'We won't lower our standards'
Even with SPD being 112 officers short, as Gunther stated during the interview, he said, “We will never put ourselves in a position where we lower our standards just to fill positions. That wouldn't be fair to the Savannah police department and definitely wouldn't be fair to our community."
Recently, all starting officers and corporals at SPD got a $6,000 raise, to $50,000 annually, paid directly from property taxes, to attract the "best and brightest" officers, as the mayor and city manager put it in a press conference.
"We will take quality over quantity every day, going forward, we want the best of the best," said Gunther. "We want stellar candidates, we want to retain the best officers that we have on the Savannah Police Department. I don't care if I have 200 vacancies, we won't lower our standards going forward."
Credit: Alex Arango / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Alex Arango / For Savannah Morning News
Drop in morale, more communication
Asked how he planned to address the drop in officers’ morale, as addressed in the 2020 complaint and 2021 survey, Gunther said, “It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to blame it on one individual. However, there's an opportunity that we have right now, to understand that the officers did and do have concerns, I think that, you know, we're in a unique position right now, to really open up channels of communication.”
Opening up channels of communications means developing communication teams, Gunther said. Every month or so, Gunther said, he and command staff will have a face-to-face meeting with the communication teams to “discuss the concerns, and opportunities for the department,” where they can comfortably share their concerns and issues without fear of reprisal.
“A big thing for me is being transparent and accountable externally with our community and internally within our police department. They deserve that.”
Drew Favakeh is the public safety reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 'In any crisis, there's an opportunity': Interim SPD chief vows transparency, communication
