Sheriffs Office - Anderson County, SC USA

Objectives and Measure:

We seek to become a state model for providing the highest quality response to crime, through our three (3) operations divisions, by hiring and retaining professional grade deputies, possessing unparalleled credentials, who have a sincere desire to serve the public through a law enforcement career.

Measure: A reduction in the number of citizen Complaints regarding sheriff's office services.

We believe that the public's confidence in our ability to perform our constitutional law enforcement obligations is essential in order for us have the resources required to provide the highest quality law enforcement service, and we believe that National Accreditation through CALEA is an integral part of fostering public confidence in our agency.

Measure: Complete the CALEA National Accreditation requirements before the end of FY 06.

In order to meet the spirit of basic CALEA standards regarding span of control, and, more importantly, from the standpoint of practicality, in order to more efficiently serve the public, our operational needs mandate the addition of one sergeant per uniform patrol shift; for a total of four additional sergeants assigned to uniform patrol. This addition will facilitate greater supervision of road patrol deputies, which will eliminate overtime, reduce instances of unnecessary lawsuits, and generally provide for an overall more efficient organization.

Measure: Four additional sergeants assigned to uniform patrol, which will increase level of supervision, thereby creating fewer citizen complaints relating to officer behavior and performance.

Since January 3, 2005, when Sheriff Crenshaw's term began, we have increased the number of deputies serving in the uniform patrol division by approximately 43.6 %. As a result, there has been an effort to more proactive patrol Anderson County . The manifestation of greater proactive patrols is evidenced by several factors: 1) an exponential reduction in response time; 2) uniform patrol officers, while on routine patrol, catching burglars while in the process of committing their crimes; and 3) being called to respond to such crimes in progress as burglaries gasoline drive offs, and armed robberies and arriving to arrest these perpetrators while they are still on the crime scene.

Measure: Average response time reduced by 50% in 2005.

As a result of the 43% increase in uniform patrol personnel, a 40 % increase in Criminal Investigators, and additional operations personnel such as the addition of the ACE teams (squads A & B), we seek to provide more adequate emergency communications between these officers and communications personnel, which provides a direct link to officers for citizens who call for emergency law enforcement service. In light of the aforementioned facts, we wish to increase personnel in the communications center to aid and facilitate communications between our officers and the citizens who call the Sheriff's Office requesting law enforcement assistance. In addition, we seek to upgrade our radio communications equipment to 800mhz, due to interoperability necessities during time of crisis. We are seeking the majority of this funding through alternative sources, such as Federal Grants, DPS Grants, and Homeland security grants; some such grants require matching funds from county government. This equipment, similar to personnel needs, is vital for officer and public safety.

Measure: Upgrade radio communications equipment to 800mhz, paid for entirely from federal and state grants, which will provide for less need to repeat radio traffic to and from dispatch, thereby providing for better officer and public safety.

As a result of the number of young people whose lives are lost each year to traffic deaths, and as a result of the extent of drug traffickers and smugglers moving illicit drugs through Anderson County, both of which lead to the unnecessary destruction of young lives, we seek to expand our traffic division to make our roads safer for all, and reduce the level of drug trafficking through the use of traffic interdiction techniques.

Measure: Expand traffic division by two deputies, which will increase the level of enforcement, which should reduce the number of citizen complaints for speeding originating at the sheriff's office.

In order to reduce the quantity of drugs plaguing the lives of those living in our community, both directly though violence, use, and sale, and indirectly through thefts, vandalism, and other forms of malicious criminal misconduct associated with illicit drug sales and abuse, we seek to expand our Narcotics unit to alleviate this burden on our community.

Measure: Expand Narcotics unit by two narcotics investigators, which will increase the number of drug related arrests in Anderson County , and reduce the number of narcotics complaints made by citizens.

Due to the prolific nature of burglaries and other serious crimes in our community, we often need skilled crime scene technicians to process crime scenes in order to collect the appropriate, uncontaminated evidence required for successful identification, apprehension, and prosecution of dangerous criminals. In light of the above listed facts, we seek to expand our forensics/crime scene unit. The expansion of this unit will provide for the enhancement of prosecution, and the apprehension of violent criminals, which will eradicate, through prosecution and stiff prison sentences, some of the most dangerous perpetrators from our community.

Measure: Expand forensics/crime scene unit by two forensics investigators, which will facilitate the time each forensics officer has to spend proactively analyzing evidence collected at crime scene, such as more time operating the AFIS system.

Due to the vast number of serious crimes committed in our community, we seek to expand our criminal investigations division so that we may deal with the most serious offenders in a very concentrated manner, and so that we may begin to address the issue of unsolved “cold” murders.

Measure: Expand criminal investigations division by two investigators, which will reduce the case load for each investigator currently employed at the sheriff's office, thereby allowing for more concentrated investigations.