Increased police surveillance planned for Daniel Island exits

Daniel Island’s natural beauty, small town charm, pedestrian friendly shopping district, and array of amenities make the community an inviting and peaceful place for residents and visitors alike. Unfortunately, Daniel Island isn’t immune to crime. 

 

The Charleston Police Department and the Daniel Island Property Owners Association (DIPOA) have collaborated on security issues to provide safety initiatives that will benefit residents. 

 

Lt. Matthew T. Wojslawowicz, Team 5 commander for the police department, noted, “Being an island offers certain advantages such as the fact that there are a limited number of ways to get onto and off of the island. In 2021, three security cameras were installed at the three points of ingress onto Daniel Island. These camera systems allow the police to identify who entered the island should a crime occur.”

 

Now, the DIPOA and the city are planning to increase their surveillance footprint to also capture vehicles leaving the island. This will assist the police department in tracking stolen vehicles as they are exiting, and to capture images of vehicles leaving after other crimes are reported. While there is not a set timeline for the project, both parties are aiming for installation to take place in 2022. 

 

Jane Baker, president of the DIPOA, said that cameras with automatic license plate readers can capture information on vehicles and the addition of three cameras will provide full coverage. 

 

She stated, “The Daniel Island Community Fund will be funding these additional cameras and they will be added to our current agreement with the City of Charleston for maintenance. The cameras are linked into the city police department and the city has an obligation to maintain and replace the cameras after two years.”

 

The installation of three new cameras will improve security for those who live and work on Daniel Island. 

 

“These cameras have already proven beneficial in identifying suspects and solving crimes after the first three cameras were installed in 2021,” Wojslawowicz said. “One example is an individual who was breaking into vehicles at Governor’s Park. Once the individual was identified, the cameras that were installed in 2021 proved their worth by showing that the suspect’s vehicle was captured leaving Daniel Island immediately after several thefts. The suspect vehicle was then captured on Mount Pleasant’s security cameras as the vehicle traveled along I-526 to a business in Mount Pleasant where the suspect was arrested with the victim’s property still in his possession, which led to several felony charges levied against him.”

 

When asked about the recent uptick in vehicle thefts and Daniel Island being a target, Wojslawowicz commented, “While I do not believe that Daniel Island is ‘targeted for crimes’ per se, I do believe that criminals know no boundaries and there have been crimes committed and will continue to be committed on the island.”

 

The addition of safety cameras serves two purposes, according to Wojslawowicz. First, they will deter criminals entering or leaving Daniel Island, knowing that there are safety cameras present that will capture them. Secondly, should there be any crimes committed by individuals not residing on the island, these safety cameras will help to identify the criminal and lead to successful prosecutions of those criminals which will in turn reduce the prevalence of additional repeat-offender crimes.

 

The cameras will be provided by Flock Safety, a company that builds public safety operating systems. Devices can be paired that capture objective evidence and machine learning to deliver investigative leads to law enforcement. The company states on its website that seven out of every 10 crimes are committed with a vehicle. Immediate access to license plate numbers gives law enforcement objective, actionable leads to investigate. Using cameras, detectives can pinpoint the suspect’s last known location, which narrows down the search radius.