CAT has new home in the Village at Sandhill

Recently, we unveiled the new home for the RCSD Community Action Team (C.A.T.) at the Village of Sandhill. I am proud to be working with Mr. Alan Kahn and Mr. Jeffrey Harper, General Manager the Village at Sandhill who both support this addition to the area- which has proven to be one of the fasted growing areas of the County.

I was so inspired to see the amazing support of both community members, and County Council members during the ribbon cutting event. We are currently discussing a long standing partnership between the Sheriff’s Department and the Village that has led to the Team’s new home. It is amazing to think about what we can accomplish when we all work together.

C.A.T. members work day and night to build relationships in the community that will improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods. The partnership with the Village is an example of one relationship that will do just that by putting the CAT Deputies directly into their areas.

The C.A.T. Program (created for the sole purpose of “Building Unity in the Community”) stands ready to partner with every community and business in Richland County. CAT members are trained to provide FREE safety education, training and resources that will help reduce your chances of becoming the victim of a crime.

In 1996 I created the Department’s Community Action Team (C.A.T.) -- a group of 14 specialized, highly trained officers with the mission to create partnerships, prevent crime and develop crime reduction strategies. The CAT objective is to improve the quality of life in our communities and solve problems. Through the leadership of Sheriff Leon Lott, the Community Action Team has organized 350 Neighborhood and Business Crime Watch organizations and are constantly working to empower our citizens.

The C.A.T. program is far more than an extension of law enforcement; by using community oriented policing methods, each Region of Richland County has been assigned specific officers (see chart below). In turn, these officers attend community meetings, and gather information about their particular areas and the area's special needs. The goals set by Sheriff Lott are for the CAT Deputies to act upon are education, awareness and enforcement. The CAT Deputies are also tasked with being a liaison between the community and the diverse divisions within the Sheriff’s Department (Forensic Science, Investigation, Narcotics, Patrol etc.) so that they too can function in the best interests of the individual communities.

It is also the mission of the C.A.T. program to develop long term solutions for all neighborhoods and citizens of Richland County. This includes things as simple as conducting FREE home and business security surveys, to developing strategies for ridding areas of criminals.

I expect that this relationship between the Department and the Village will continue to grow. We look forward to a long term partnership that will ultimately help maintain "Unity in the Community".

Sheriff issue’s thank you and Easter blessing -- Request to continue fight:

"As we reflect on Good Friday and Easter Sunday the blessings we have because of Jesus’ sacrifice, I am reminded of how thankful I am to have communities in Richland County and personnel of the Sheriff’s Department who partner together and work so hard work; with you making Richland County a better place to work, live and play.

I would ask that you continue the fight with me of making our schools safe havens, our communities’ safer places and continuing to reduce crime. In turn, I as your Sheriff will continue to fight for you, fight for our victim’s and fight against those that would threaten us. Additionally, I will continue to search for innovative, cost effective policing programs and ideas that will support stronger families, our youth and which work to strengthen our communities.

The Sheriff’s Department has a host of resources, intervention and educational programs and services that can help you, your community, your church and your school. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions, concerns or want to take advantage of these free resources. Please contact us for more information and potential partnerships; and let’s continue to reduce crime and “Build Unity in the Community”.

May God bless you and your family.”

We are assessing services, working to stay ahead of trends and development

As your Sheriff, I strongly believe that the most successful law enforcement agencies stay connected with their communities and have the most active citizens. I also think it's vital that we must stay ahead of trends and development and constantly assess the services we provide. This is one was we can continue to build "Unity in the Community".

I encourage all communities to have an active crime watch and be our eyes and ears to help us better serve you and your families. We are constantly reviewing the services the Department provides to make sure that we are being efficient and effective with the resources the taxpayers provide.

In 1997 I divided Richland County into seven patrol regions – placing deputies out into the communities we serve and allowing them to focus on community oriented policing. The placement of deputies into the patrol regions allows deputies to work in the areas where they live and allows them to get to know the citizens and criminals; and to better understand the community’s needs and potential trends.

In order to stay connected with our communities and ahead of development and trends, I am reassigning personnel and redrawing the boundaries for three of the patrol regions. Regions 3, 6 and 7: North Columbia, Blythewood and the Northeast respectively (which have been some of the fastest developing areas in the County). With the new boundaries and reassigned personnel, the Regions will be more effective and efficient.  

If you go to this link (http://www.rcsd.net/dept/regions.htm) you will find a map showing the boundaries. And below are the points of contact for the respective Regions that have changed this month. Please feel free to contact us at 576-3000 if you have any questions about these changes.

Sheriff Leon Lott

Region 3

Commander: Captain Scott McManus

Contact information: smcmanus@rcsd.net , 803-576-2215

Community Action Team Deputy Aubrey Torres atorres@rcsd.net , 803-518-8438

Region 6

Commander: Captain Roxana Meetze

Contact: rmeetze@rcsd.net , 803-865-8011

Community Action Team Deputy Chris Potter epotter@rcsd.net , 803-309-6668

Region 7

Commander: Captain Scott Plexico

Contact: splexico@rcsd.net , 803-576-1421

Community Action Team Deputy Travis Roberts troberts@rcsd.net , 803-513-3440

Therapy Dogs are "Building Unity in the Community" for People of All Ages

You could say Deputy Lewis Marshall has a little "luck" following him everywhere he goes... as in "Lucky" his four-legged partner. The two spend their workdays together visiting Richland County schools, hospitals and assisted living homes. But don't be fooled... Lucky is not the typical police dog. He's a therapy dog.

"Lucky has done things the run of the mill dog can't," says Marshall. "Lucky is allowed to go into areas of buildings and hospitals the average animal can not go."

Lucky gets special access because his fur does not shed as much as the typical dog breed and Marshall gives Lucky baths to keep him smelling good. The 100 pound grey poodle- yes, poodle- is called a ray of light to those who feel down and out.

"He was socialized and trained starting at 4 months old immediately after I got him," says Marshall, who came to the Department in 1997 having been in Law Enforcement for more than 45 years. 

As Sheriff, I believe that our seniors are the foundation of our community – that we must care for and provide services and tools necessary to enhance our seniors quality of life. I created Project HOPE (Helping our Precious Elderly) in Richland County to make sure that the large senior population is cared for and not targeted by the criminals. Our Therapy Dog Program is another effective tool that not only gives back to our elderly but also helps those facing illness or adversity.

Marshall says, "It's a great thing to help someone forget about the pain, and to see them smile for a while during our visit. But it's so hard when you see someone make friends with Lucky over time... and then one week we go back and they are gone. That's the hardest part of this job."

In a typical 8 hour workday, the two will travel to multiple locations and see dozens of people- who all know Lucky by name. "Sometimes I feel like I'm just a driver for Lucky- like he's actually my handler," Marshall says laughing. "They certainly love on him."

But what can you say? Lucky does tricks, gives kisses and will even sit and beg on command. Marshall says with a smile, "I could never compete with such perfection."

I have spoken with countless doctors and nurses who have seen the impact Marshall and Lucky have while visiting. For example, one doctor told me about how Lucky jumped into a bed with a child who had a terminal illness providing comfort and loving final moments. They provide entertainment, consistency in visitations, interactive therapy and the ability to help people forget about their illnesses.

• Please visit our Facebook page for more photos: http://www.facebook.com/RichlandCountySheriffsDepartment

Fugitive Task Force arrests 10,618 people – 6,105 violent offenders

We have again seen success in making our communities safer by apprehending dangerous offenders. The Department’s Fugitive Task Force arrested 35 people and cleared 47 warrants during a warrant sweep in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 3, 2012.

I created the Fugitive Task Force in 2006, to target and apprehend career criminals. The Fugitive Team seeks out the most dangerous offenders with the mission of making our communities safer and in many cases bringing closure to victims.

The Fugitive Task Force combines the expertise of our Deputies with that of other law enforcement agencies like the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the United States Marshal’s Service. The hard work of the Task Force members and partnerships with the other police and sheriff’s departments is how they are able to reach such impressive results- as seen in 2011. In that one year alone, the Fugitive Team arrested 1,516 people; of which 857 were for violent offences, and cleared a total of 2,593 warrants.

What do all these numbers mean? It means we are winning the war against the bad guys and making our communities safer.

As we continue to build "Unity in the Community" I ask that anyone be our eyes and ears in the community.


If you have information on the location of any wanted person, should call, email or text your anonymous tip to Crimestoppers:

§        Call 1-888-CRIME-SC

§        Text "TIP SC" plus your message to CRIMES (274637)

§        Visit www.midlandscrimestoppers.com 

First of its kind technology enables the Richland County Sheriff's Department to build stronger more involved communities

I recently had the honor to stand with Guardian Watch President Gordon Jones, community activists and CAT Deputies to unveil new FREE technology. This new partnership allows our Community Action Team Deputies to leverage mobile technology for building stronger communities.
 

As Sheriff I am proud to say the Richland County Sheriff’s Department is at the forefront of this innovation – being chosen by Guardian Watch to be the National Pilot for the new technology that increases communication between citizens and public safety. I firmly believe a partnership between citizens and law enforcement is the only way to successfully combat crime.

Guardian Watch is an additional tool allowing our citizens to use mobile devices or the web to alert us and neighbors to suspicious activities or emergencies. Guardian Watch is another way that citizens can provide deputies with critical information about criminal activity; including the GPS location of the activity. It's the first multi-platform application (App) in the country that lets you use your mobile device’s camera to report an emergency. This is real time information that can provide public safety officials with a view of the scene of the crime, fire, or medical emergency before they arrive. This FREE App is ideal for issues that affect our quality of life- like graffiti, narcotics, suspicious vehicles, abandoned homes and vandalism.

I can not stress enough that Guardian Watch does not replace 911 –it's imperative that citizens continue to report crimes in progress or suspicious activity using 911.

For more information about Guardian Watch please go to www.GuardianWatch.com or call your CAT Deputies at 803-576-3191.

You can also visit our website www.rcsd.net for more information.

Citizens can access important information about crime prevention, free safety training and community resources at: www.rcsd.net

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National Teen Domestic Violence Month

In January, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring February 'Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month'- bringing national attention to a growing problem. 

The sad truth is that there are millions of people in this country who suffer some kind of violence at the hands of their loved ones each year-- but they almost never tell anyone. Adult and Teen domestic violence isn’t just about hitting- yelling, threatening, or acts of possessiveness or harassment. Abuse takes many different forms and includes behavior such as name calling, isolation, withholding of money and sexual assault.

Does your partner:

§         constantly criticize you and your abilities as a spouse or partner, parent or employee?

§         behave in an over-protective manner or become extremely jealous?

§         threaten to hurt you, your children, pets, family members, friends or themselves?

§         prevent you from seeing family or friends?

§         get suddenly angry or "lose their temper"?

§         destroy personal property or throw things around?

§         deny you access to family assets like bank accounts, credit cards, or the car, or control all finances and force you to account for what you spend?

§         use intimidation or manipulation to control you or your children? Hit punch, slap, kick, shove, choke or bite you?

§         prevent you from going where you want to, when you want to, and with whomever you want to?

§         make you have sex when you don't want to or do things sexually that you don't want to?

§         humiliate or embarrass you in front of other people?

Many of us involved in crime prevention have at some point in our careers been involved in educating and working to prevent domestic violence among adults and teens who may be in a dangerous- even deadly- situation. As your Sheriff, I ask you to reach out and talk with our young people and make sure they are educated about what to do if they're in an abusive relationship.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department offers a women’s self defense course free of charge to the public. This is a crime prevention program that utilizes techniques that are specifically designed for women to reduce the likelihood of victimization empowering women to recognize their strengths and make sound decisions when faced with potentially dangerous situations.

For more information and class schedules visit http://www.rcsd.net/inv/vicassist-self-defense.html or call Sgt. Maria Yturria of the Victim Services Unit at 803-576-3463.

http://www.rcsd.net/