DINA Town Hall targets safety
Local law enforcement officers took aim at the community’s safety and security last week, at a gathering at Church of the Holy Cross hosted by the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association. About 35 residents of the Daniel Island and Cainhoy peninsula took part in the Safety Town Hall, which included presentations by both the City of Charleston Police Department and the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department.
Taking the podium first was DINA President Maria Delcioppo, who explained the purpose behind the event.
“We share the same elected officials, we ride the same roads, our kids go to the same schools,” noted Delcioppo, referencing the different communities across the Cainhoy peninsula. “So, how can we bring our communities closer together? This was the first thing we came up with.”
“When I started thinking about what we were going to do this evening, I had an image in my mind that just wouldn’t go away,” she continued.
Delcioppo then held up a photo taken in 2001 of her brother, Paul, and his young daughter, Angelica. She explained that Paul, who worked in sound production at the time, was riding into work in New York City on September 11 that year and watched the events of 9/11 unfold before his eyes.
“Immediately, he said to himself, ‘What can I do?” said Delcioppo. “How can I serve? And what he felt called to do was become a firefighter, and an EMT.”
That decision served as a source of inspiration for Delcioppo – and she urged those in the audience to ask themselves some important questions.
“We don’t have to make monumental sacrifices like that, we don’t have to change our careers, but I think it begs the question – What can I do to help?...What sacrifices am I willing to make? If there are those among us who make such huge sacrifices, we can make the little daily ones, like watching how we drive, how we parent our children, the example we set and how we interest with each other. Are we willing to do what’s best for me, to do what’s best for us?”
TRAFFIC TOP ISSUE FOR BCSD
Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis then addressed the audience with an update on his department’s activities in the area, highlighting the issue he hears the most about when it comes to safety in the community.
“When I first took office in 2015, I talked about our drug problem,” he said. “It’s still a problem, but it is now our second problem. The main complaint we receive is traffic-related…There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t receive some type of text message, email, phone call, or Facebook (message) about traffic.”
The sheriff has stepped up enforcement to address traffic issues. A three-day enforcement “saturation” event held last year was successful, he said, so another is in the works. This one will likely focus on the Clements Ferry Road corridor area.
“We’re going to try to surgically put 30 police officers in a small area to try to tackle (the problem) and get people’s attention about traffic.”
Even though Lewis listed drugs as BCSD’s “second” biggest issue, stopping those who sell and use them continues to be a priority, he said. So far this year, officers have made 345 narcotics arrests countywide. In the Daniel Island/Cainhoy areas alone, 12 have been arrested for possession of an illegal substance and two have been arrested for possession with intent to distribute.
Lewis also brought residents up to speed on the constraints the department is facing due to an inadequate jail. The facility has the capacity for 291 inmates, but at times has gotten up to 500. The BCSD also must provide three meals a day for each inmate, as well as medical, safety, security and educational opportunities.
“The jail is a monumental task,” continued Lewis, who is exploring plans to expand or build a new jail. “You can imagine what that does to a facility. It’s a small city in a confined space basically…It’s just a big undertaking.”
Another BCSD focus under Lewis’ watch has been to be more proactive and responsive to crime threats. The department is placing deputies in strategic areas where they can get to calls sooner – and their work is showing up in the new stats. Deputies have answered 1,149 calls for service so far this year in zone 7, which encompasses Daniel Island and much of the Cainhoy peninsula.
Lewis has also incorporated an inmate work detail during his tenure, which utilizes labor from those incarcerated to complete county and community projects, such as trash pick-up. In January, inmate crews collected some 11,140 pounds of litter and another 19,845 pounds in February - working nearly 2,000 man hours over the two month period.
“This is all free labor,” said Lewis.
Staying ahead of the region’s growth continues to be a driving force for Lewis and his team.
“We have a population of over 200,000, and 1,200 square miles that we have to provide a service to,” he added. “…Berkley County has become the new Boom Town. And it’s not just growth here or on Clements Ferry. It’s everywhere in the county.”
POLICE MAKE ‘ARRIVE ALIVE’ CAMPAIGN A PRIORITY
City of Charleston police officers with Team 5 have been equally busy. According to Lt. James Byrne, Team 5’s commanding officer, traffic safety is also one of the top concerns among city residents. After an 11-year-old girl visiting Charleston from Germany was killed by a drunk driver last year, Police Chief Luther Reynolds implemented a new “Arrive Alive” campaign that has become a department-wide focus for officers.
“We had already been pushing and moving in the direction of traffic safety,” noted Byrne. “But that really brought everything to a very pointed moment for us.”
Chief Reynolds added 20 officers to a new special operations traffic division headed up by Lt. Matthew Wojslawowicz, who also took part in the Safety Town Hall. One of the group’s main focuses is drunk driving. According to Byrne, incidents of driving under the influence “are way up.” Among the stats provided at the event – 80 percent of fatal collisions in the city are related to drug or alcohol impairment.
“To put that into perspective, the national average and the state average is about 35 percent,” said Wojslawowicz. “…DUI enforcement is extremely important.”
Officers are also targeting speeding, as the majority of non-fatal collisions are either speed- related or distracted driving-related, he added.
Overall, the department has worked 77 collisions in the Team 5 area in the first quarter of 2019. By comparison, downtown saw 440 collisions, while there were 179 on James and Johns Islands and 673 in West Ashley.
The division recently conducted an enforcement press in the area of River Landing Drive on Daniel Island after receiving numerous complaints about speeding. The team wrote 52 speeding citations and 36 other citations in a 10-hour period.
“Obviously it’s a problem up here and all over the city,” added Wojslawowicz. “But we try to come out and address those issues.”
“I would rather have a day where my officers write zero tickets, where no tickets need to be written,” said Lt. Byrne. “It’s not about trying to fill the coffers of the county or the city. It’s about trying to make sure that we’re also not filling the coffins.”
When it comes to crime on Daniel Island, Byrne noted the biggest issue continues to be larcenies from vehicles, particularly those that are unlocked. Both Byrne and Sheriff Lewis agree that suspects will “shop” for easy targets.
“People don’t break into cars anymore,” said Lewis. “All they do is go through a neighborhood, check doors and find one unlocked and go through it. They’re finding purses, guns, wallets, tablets, computers, games and cash. Just lock your doors. It’s that simple.”