Ward Captains Meeting Highlights Key Issues on Safety and Quality of Life

On January 26, 2026, DNA’s Ward Captains Chair, Rhonda Pulte, organized a Ward Captains meeting that was well attended and focused on paramount issues including safety and quality of life. We were fortunate to have Savannah Police Department Interim Major Max Nowinsky with the Northwest Precinct as a guest who fielded many questions and concerns from the group. 

One of the broader questions raised in the meeting was safety in and around Forsyth Park following the acid attack on Ashely Wasielewski on December 10, 2025. WJCL published a news report shortly after the attack titled “How safe is Forsyth Park? In wake of Savannah acid attack, here's what the data shows.” According to data obtained from the Savannah Police Department, the article notes that 34 assaults were reported at “Forsyth Park Area” year to date as of December 18, 2025. Comparably, there were 25 assaults reported at “Daffin Park Area” for the same period. 

At the meeting, Interim Major Nowinsky discussed the enhanced police presence throughout Forsyth Park and the surrounding areas including the placing of a marked unit in the park as well as patrols that include officers working overtime. As the investigation is ongoing, there were certain details of the attack itself that he could not share. Interim Major Nowinsky promised to investigate the recently published incident data. Since then, he has personally analyzed the data including individual incident reports and I am sharing that analysis with you. 

As an initial matter, Interim Major Nowinsky noted that the news report identifies the incidents as the “Forsyth Park Area.” This means the reported data involves Forsyth Park as well as bordering areas that have nothing to do with the park itself. Of the 34 incident reports reviewed, Interim Major Nowinsky noted that 15 of those incidents occurred in Forsyth Park, or along the immediate borders. Six of those incidents involved arrests ranging from simple assault, public indecency, and aggravated battery. And, in three of those incidents the parties involved knew each other. 

Interim Major Nowinsky noted there were no 2025 incidents reported in June, July, August, September, and November based on the criteria used for the data. Overall, the highest number of incidents in any given month was three. 

As recently reported in the news, the City of Savannah received a $972,000 grant from SCAD Serve Community Fund for Public Safety in early 2025 to include enhanced security in the downtown area with state-of-the-art cameras, safety call boxes, and Flock license plate readers. The City of Savannah recently approved $200,000 of that grant to purchase, install, and maintain an additional ten cameras in Forsyth Park.  

Other issues discussed at the meeting will be shared in forthcoming DNA newsletters. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any safety-related questions or concerns. 

Zach Thomas

Public Safety Chair