Here in Berkeley County, many of us have been dealing with the same frustrations....the lack of responding to calls, the feeling as if any call for service isnt important enough to have deputies respond. Many excuses are typically given, such as, the Sheriffs office doesnt have enough man-power, or we will get to it when we can (which then turns to never.) I plan on implementing from the start; a better community/ Sheriffs office relationship. I understand how difficult this will be because for many years, the community feels as if the Sheriffs department doesnt care as to what is happening around them. That. Will. Stop. Community Oriented Policing, or (COPs), as I like to call it, will help rebuild the trust bridge between the community and the Sheriffs office. I want my deputies to be interacting daily with their surrounding neighborhoods, finding out what issues each neighborhood is struggling with and how can the Berkeley County Sheriffs office help alleviate the issues. Ive had some concern citizens mention that many of the supervisory officers are advising their subordinates to not do anything to not be proactive. Laziness, is NOT in my blood. If elected, I will not tolerate anyone of my staff acting that way. Most of the neighborhoods Ive spoken with and visited shared the same issue....the utter lack of traffic enforcement. Ive heard everything from, the speeders are rampant in this neighborhood to people are running stop signs. Let me be the first to tell you that if elected; I will, from the start, encourage my deputies to be more cognizant of the violators around them and start enforcing traffic laws. I will also relieve the SC Highway Patrol from working all collisions in Berkeley County, including fatalities. These efforts will do so much more for our County besides reduce collisions and reduce other traffic issues within the County. By conducting traffic enforcement and working collisions, it opens the door for many types of grant monies available that can be utilized for equipment, training...you name it. This goes back to my plan to make Berkeley County a more well-rounded department. And finally, I was asked probably one of the biggest questions regarding a huge topic in our County....the jail. What are your plans on increasing the man-power for the jail and obtaining the funding to pay those correctional officers, without increasing taxes? Let me tell you how excited I was to hear this great question! Yes, I agree; the budget for man-power allotment should have been included in the original proposal....and for some reason, it seems it wasnt. I dont know how much more clearer I can be when I say this; I do not consider myself a politician. To me, politicians try to sell toomany broken promises. I consider myself a typical blue-collar guy that knows what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and the last thing I want, is higher taxes! So to answer the question about how I plan on finding the money for the correctional officers....its easy and the money is already here. Traffic Enforcement. Now before everyone starts screaming...oh, youre just wanting to turn our quaint County into a speed trap. NO. I look at what major thoroughfares we have in this County, I-26, I-526, Hwy. 52, Hwy. 17A, Hwy. 176, Redbank Rd. and so on. Many of these roads are heavily traveled throughout the day and most have had some type of collision at least once a day. The fact remains, by enforcing traffic laws and doing more enforcement, the County will actually receive a percentage of the revenue from the State. In my current department, we had 5 guys assigned to a motorcycle unit and in one year we had written a combined $2.5 million dollars from tickets. Now, the City actually recouped almost $300,000. We werent hammering people either, we typically went to high crash areas and started enforcing the violations that were causing most of the collisions. Im not trying to sell you on a quota, Im merely showing an example as to how easy it would be to find the money. I also believe it will help alleviate that quote of Wheres a police officer when you need one! Having my deputies being more visible also helps deter crime and future violations. If Berkeley County had been conducting just a fraction more of the traffic enforcement than they do now (which is minimal,) I believe the jail could have been staffed years ago. I appreciate everyone that took the time to read this and the only way Berkeley County Sheriffs Office will change is by your vote on June 10. I humbly ask for your support in making Berkeley County, a Safer County. Better Life. Matt
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 19:02:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015