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2007 Santee Cooper SCLEOA
Award of Excellence in Law Enforcement WEST COLUMBIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
The West Columbia Police Department serves a community of almost 14,000 residents as well as the many motorists who travel through the city daily. The Department is committed to providing the highest level of professionalism and service to the citizens that it serves. In recent years, the department has enhanced their basic patrol and investigative functions to include such resources as Victim Services, |
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Mailing Address: Location:
Telephone: 803-781-5913 |
Community Policing, Codes Enforcement, and Riverwalk Park Security. Led by Chief Dennis Tyndall, West Columbia officers are dedicated to serving the citizens of West Columbia by providing safe neighborhoods and a superior quality of life. They are proud to protect and serve! As with many departments in South Carolina, the West Columbia Police Department has been plagued with family violence cases. In 2004, the department saw the need to enhance its ability to investigate and prosecute case involving family violence. Case numbers were high and clearance rates were low. This was due to both an overwhelming caseload shared among existing investigators and the fact that no investigator had the specialized training needed to successfully deal with these cases and the dynamics inherent to them. The department was able to obtain grant funding for a dedicated Family Violence Investigator. The investigator received specialized training in the dynamics of family violence and even more importantly to focus on these cases giving them the time and attention that they require. The results attained in the first year of funding were overwhelming. In the first year of the grant, arrest rates for CDV increased dramatically. Prior to the grant, arrests were made in 24% of the cases. In the fist year of the grant, arrests increased to 47%. Arrests for child abuse and neglect increased from 0 to 100% of the cases reported and in cases involving elder abuse, arrests increased from 0 to 33% of the cases reported. It quickly because apparent that one investigator was insufficient for the number of cases handled and a second investigator was added. Arrest and closure rates continued to increase. As part of the department’s proactive stance against family violence, technology became an integral part of the response. Patrol division officers were provided kits that contained digital and video cameras, recorders, evidence bags, crime scene tape, and emergency supplies for victims. These tools have enabled patrol officers to better preserve and collect evidence and present stronger cases in court and increase successful prosecutions. Grant funding was also secured to provide electronic voice translators and wearable video cameras. West Columbia is the only city in South Carolina utilizing these tools. The translators have the ability to work with citizens from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and languages. These translators greatly enhance an officer’s ability to communicate with non-English speaking victims. The recording devices provide evidence of the situation from the time an officer arrives at a crime scene until the perpetrator is transported to the detention center. This allows judges and juries to have an accurate visual and audio account of events at the scene and is more powerful than an officer’s testimony alone. These innovative initiatives demonstrate West Columbia Police Department’s commitment to reducing family violence and better serving the citizens of West Columbia by providing a safer community. |
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Copyright 2007 South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association |
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