Approximately 50 people attended the Crime Prevention Meeting Wednesday night. In addition to an informative program, the audience enjoyed some delicious food provided by the Drop-In Store. For those who were not able to attend, I’ve tried to briefly summarize the high points.
Our Police Crime Prevention Officer Courtney Palmer presented good information on keeping yourself and your property safe during the holidays. She mentioned the free home inspection that is available to determine how safe your home is from a break in. If you are going out of town, you can also request extra patrols in your area. Although crime seems to be on the increase, she said it was actually decreasing…it is the communication that is increasing so we are more aware of it. She also talked about setting up a Neighborhood Watch Program and the importance of watching out for your neighbors. We will be initiating a Neighborhood Watch Program in a small area soon, so watch for more information.
Chief Miller talked about the trend in crime and how they use that to determine where and when to patrol. While officers are on 12 hour shifts, crime doesn’t necessarily follow that pattern, so they will be looking at data and trying to make the best use of resources.
The audience stated that they wanted a better relationship with the local police. Most were happy with the current service, just missed the old time neighborhood patrolmen who everyone knew. Current budgets no longer allow that. Chief Miller has established distinct areas for lieutenants so that he and we will know who gets the call when something happens in our area. Our contact is Lt. Bell who can be reached at jbell@greenvillesc.gov. They are currently conducting a survey regarding how citizens feel about service, patrols, detectives, the 911 system and safety overall. The results will be presented to council and made public.
The three parts of Policing include Prevention, Intervention and Enforcement. They prefer to see more in the prevention category and that’s where we come in. Courtney and Chief Miller both emphasized over and over how important it is that we call whenever we see something suspicious. If you are not sure whether to call the non-emergency number or 911, call 911. Dogs can be a deterrent in some cases. Alarm systems aren’t perfect but usually shorten the time a burglar stays. But the most important thing is “If you see something, say something”. Call right then, don’t wait until it’s a statistic.
If you would like copies of the handouts, please email pgilreath@aol.com
