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 Law Enforcement Needs web posted January 27, 2012 EDGEFIELD – Edgefield County Sheriff's Captain Chris Wash spoke on law enforcement needs in the county. In 2011, the Sheriff's Dispatch handled 16,861 calls for the year, basically one every thirty minutes around the clock, though at times dispatch may be dealing with a number of calls at the same time. That included calls for deputies, town police, fire, and EMS. The Sheriff's Office responded to over 10,000 calls (2,076 emergency 911 calls and just under 8,000 "service" calls). The largest need was more road patrol deputies. Currently the Sheriff's Office has three deputies on patrol around the clock. That, in a county that encompasses 507 square miles, reduces response times to calls and reduces deputies from doing more "proactive" measures to prevent crimes before they happen. That is important when industries consider Edgefield County as a potential location for relocating here. "I know when Urban Outfitters was considering coming here, I got the calls about the type of crimes we have and response times," Capt. Wash said. "I had to be honest and say that it could be as fast as 30 seconds and up to 20 minutes depending on where our officers are or the calls they are out on at the time." County Administrator Roger LeDuc asked if there was a standard of how many officers needed to be on patrol based on population. Capt. Wash said there is a "national standard", but it is based on different standards and geared more towards municipalities. "By that (standard) we would need nine (per shift)," Wash said adding, "that is unrealistic." Sheriff Adell Dobey, Wash said, estimated that six deputies on the road at any given time is ideal, but five would be manageable in cutting down response times and providing proper protection. Wash said the county is divided into five "zones" already, but deputies are not assigned to any zone and take calls as they come in. A majority of calls come from the Merriwether area since it has the greatest population density in the county and would benefit if the Sheriff's Office could place deputies in the respective zones. To accomplish that goal, an additional ten deputies would have to be added to the payroll. Capt. Wash said that training is also mandatory for deputies. Another issue was the Edgefield County Detention Center which is currently rated to house up to 63 inmates. At the current time the daily average is 56 for 2011, however, there are times that as many as 85 inmates are being held at the facility. Jail population often grows during General Sessions Court and then reduces following sentencing or bonding hearings. Due to the age of the jail, there are problems with moisture and aging problems that have to be dealt with on a continuing basis. It is expected that the detention center will have to see an upgrade within the next five years. © Copyright 2012 All material is property of
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