It’s Fist Bump Friday at Forest View Elementary in Easley and Northside Middle School in Greenwood! Special thanks to Sgt. Ashley Anderson for setting up six schools for Fist Bump Friday.
Thank you to Patricia Ravenhorst, General Counsel at the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA), and Rita Wearbon, Victim Advocate at the City of Greenville Police Department.
The goal of Ten at the Top’s Creating a Safer Upstate Initiative is to create a safer and more united Upstate Region where law enforcement and community leaders work together to foster a culture mutual respect. Officers attended elementary schools around the Upstate on Fist Bump Friday last week.
A Law Enforcement and Community Leader Forum was held on June 14, 2022 at the Blue Ridge Community Center in Seneca in conjunction with Tri-County Technical College
Law enforcement officers were in attendance to share information on police use of technology, general policing policies, community engagement, and police recruiting & training. As we learn time and again, education is key to creating trust. Community leaders shared their concerns about transparency in policing and the importance of cultural competency.
The Use of Analytics to Drive Policing Workshop was held via Zoom on June 13, 2022 with presenters Dr. Lee Hunt, PhD, from the Greenville City Police Department, and Dr. Michele Covington, PhD, from the USC Upstate Crime Analysis Center (UCAC).
Crime analysis assists in evidence-based policing, is efficient and resourceful, and ensures that decision-making is strategic and fair. Ultimately crime analysis holds accountable those who commit crime, provides assistance for victims, and enhances crime prevention.
UCAC provides training, resources, and support; analytical expertise for law enforcement agencies; problem analysis assistance; and public training on problem-solving strategies.
Dr. Hunt shared the Greenville Police Department’s 2021 Year-End Statistics Report to show how Greenville PD uses predictive policing with local data to analyze historical crime data, predict future crimes, and efficiently deploy law enforcement with the goal of reducing violent crime without imprisonment.
The presentations are available here and the recording of the workshop is here.
The fourth Creating a Safer Upstate – Beyond the Shield Virtual Workshop provided an opportunity for Community Leaders to share concerns with Law Enforcement Officers across the Upstate.
The panel included Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis, Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw, Town of Williamston Police Chief Tony Taylor, City of Anderson Chief Jim Stewart, and City of Greer Police Chief Matt Hamby. Jim Shew from Marsh & McLennan and Keishe Nelson from Michelin coordinated the audience questions during the session.
Sheriffs and Chiefs addressed questions about how community leaders can support law enforcement, how the national conversation on criminal justice reform impacts the implementation of law enforcement practices and procedures at the local level, how information is communicated and where to look for the most accurate news, what communities can do to help police in regards to response and communications, community engagement, mental health, and reporting.