NCJ Number
98529
Date Published
1984
Length
126 pages
Annotation
Fifteen innovative police programs implemented in various South Carolina jurisdictions and presented to the College of Criminal Justice are described; five programs given special commendation deal with police-citizen communication, the elderly's fear of crime, child abuse, theft investigations, and a combination crime prevention and emergency medical service program.
Abstract
One project given special commendation is designed to improve communication between the residents and merchants of the county. Citizens are asked to provide the sheriff's department with the names and phone numbers of at least three persons who could be contacted in the event of an emergency at their home or business. Another program provides for police officers to regularly contact citizens living alone and who are home-bound because of age, health problems, or other reasons. A third program given special commendation involves the computerized filing of pawn ticket records, which facilitates the recovery of stolen property and the investigation of thefts. A fourth innovation is an action-oriented program that networks all the resources of State and local goverments, schools, churches, civic groups, and the community to focus on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. A fifth commended program has created a police unit assigned to answer all medical calls in the city as a first responder and assist in providing emergency medical services. Additionally, the unit will focus on the already active crime prevention program, with a focus on patrolling subdivisions and commercial areas. Other programs described deal with citizen contacts, computerized police information systems, traffic law enforcement, specialized patrols, police training, and the use of the stun gun-Nova XR-5000.