From the confines of a minivan parked at a southside apartment complex, three Savannah-Chatham police officers spent a recent Friday night trying to make a pizza delivery driver a robbery victim.

Shielded by the factory tint of the minivan, Metro Sgt. George Gundich eyed the driver as he wandered aimlessly around the complex asking for directions.

Through a microphone device, Gundich could tell the crime was about to occur. Two men asked the driver to make change for a $50.

“This is it,” Gundich said, his right hand clutching the latch to the minivan’s sliding door. “Get this thing in gear and get ready to go.”

Suddenly, tension thicker than a coastal fog vanished after the two men asked the driver if he was a cop. Indeed, he was, but not that he told them. And although the two men weren’t subjected to the swarm of undercover and uniformed officers wielding handcuffs and begging to drive them to jail, the message was clear.

“At least now they know we’re out here,” Gundich said, moving his team of 11 officers to another apartment complex. “Maybe next time these guys think about robbing someone they’ll think twice.”

Dusting off old playbooks

Starting last week, southside precinct commander Capt. Richard Zapal ordered his officers to conduct a variety of missions aimed at quelling the increase in crime the department has historically seen over the holidays.

The missions are old hat for Zapal. Years ago, Savannah police would conduct operations in which officers would hide within the coolers of convenience stores plagued by commercial robberies. If a crime occurred, the officers would pounce on the crook before anyone was hurt, Zapal said.

Also in recent years, Zapal took on a rash of pizza delivery robberies by dressing officers as restaurant employees and having them deliver pizzas to possible suspects looking for a quick buck and a meal.

Gundich said although pizza delivery robberies have been “sporadic,” allowing word to spread about their presence could keep criminals at bay. Gundich’s team is also hiding officers inside convenience stores and monitoring businesses that stay open late.

Committed to low numbers

Going into the holiday season this year, metro police have seen a slight decline in commercial robberies. As of Nov. 14, the department had taken 86 reports – 14 fewer than the same time period the year before. But the southside precinct – with more businesses than the four other metro police precincts combined – has taken nine more commercial burglary reports than the year before.

Other robbery numbers across the jurisdiction remain low compared to last year: 414 street robberies were reported this year, 115 fewer than the same time period the year before. Also, 52 residential robberies have been reported this year, one fewer than the same time period the year before. The southside precinct handled 83 street robberies this year, 11 fewer than the same time period the year before. Only 10 residential robberies have been handled by southside officers this year, which is half of the same time period the year before.

During a recent community meeting at his precinct, Zapal assured residents his officers weren’t taking robberies lightly as the holidays approached. With the work of his troops and a healthy dose of prevention, crime numbers should stay low, he said.

“Maybe we can prevent one person from being hurt,” he said after the meeting. “Especially, even if they’re not physically hurt … the psychological effect of having a gun pointed at you – for one person to not have to go through that, it’s worth it.”

Each precinct unique

Interim Police Chief Willie Lovett said Zapal’s operation is an example of how he’s pushing more responsibilities of the department from the chief’s office to precinct commanders.

“All I ask is that they give 100 percent, and that’s exactly what I’m getting,” Lovett said. “Being the chiefs of their precincts, I believe they’re responsible for motivating the people in that precinct and it’s not that hard to do for someone who’s dedicated to law enforcement.”

Lovett predicted other precinct commanders would tailor operations specific to the neighborhoods they protect.

“I don’t think there will be an overall project for the entire county,” Lovett said. “Each precinct is different and precinct commanders will have to deal with the types of robberies they have.”

Gundich, Lovett and Zapal all agreed the missions pose some danger to officers and civilians, but they’re the culmination of hours of strategy and planning. Lovett said those who don’t believe the missions are worth the message they convey should think of the victim.

“It’s only crazy to those who haven’t had this happen to them,” Lovett said. “For the victims of robberies, it’s not so crazy. Someone looking down the barrel of a .45 caliber or 9 mm, it’s a totally different feeling. You can appreciate what Zapal is doing if you’ve been there.”

Time to ‘quit messing’

On a recent Wednesday night, advanced police officers Rodney Cooper and James Lyttle hid in the back office of a southside Shell gas station that had been robbed the day before. Armed with rifles and their service handguns, Lyttle placed himself next to the door of the office as Cooper monitored the store’s surveillance system. Both officers said that although the chances of catching a crook weren’t high, their presence would keep crooks guessing.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and be in the right place at the right time or maybe nothing will happen,” Cooper said.

The manager of the gas station, Susie Baker – who was confronted by robbers who struck only hours before – said knowing Cooper and Lyttle were only steps away was both comforting and empowering.

“I’ve been in this business 30 years and I’ve never been robbed,” Baker said. “It’s time to quit messing. We’re trying to make an honest living. What right do they have to, at gunpoint, take whatever they want to?”