July 2003 - Long Arm of the Law Citizens Play a Vital Role in Local Law Enforcement Except for an occasional speeding violation, the average citizen fortunately doesn't have much contact with law enforcement officials. However, when it comes to fighting crime in the Lowcountry, the Beaufort County Sheriff 's Office (BCSO) relies, to an extent, on its citizens. And in order to do that, the lines of communication have to be open. That's why, over the past couple of years, local law enforcement has taken a proactive stance in getting the public more involved in fighting crime. Two separate initiatives - the Beaufort County Citizens Police Academy and a series of most wanted lists that are distributed to local media outlets - are helping to accomplish this. "My job is to ensure that the safety of citizens of all of Beaufort County is constant and consistent," said Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner, who first took office in January 1999 and was re-elected for a second term in 2002. "The bottom line is that good communication solves all problems," Tanner said. "We rely on our citizens to provide good information." The Beaufort County Citizens Police Academy was created by Tanner and Master Sergeant Tim Newman to educate residents of Beaufort County about how the sheriff 's office operates. "We started the Citizens Police Academy not to create police officers out of people, but to create a positive relationship with residents so that they can be better citizens and better jurors," Tanner said. Newman runs the five-week course, which is conducted on a quarterly basis. "We want citizens to know what the sheriff 's office does and the importance of their involvement," he said. "There are so many things that people don't know about how law enforcement works, and there are a lot of misconceptions as to what we can and can't do," he said. The first academy was held in the fall of 2000 for residents of Del Webb's Sun City. Looking for a way to save money on security costs during daylight hours, they called upon the sheriff 's office for some training. Since then the sheriff 's office has conducted five sessions, and more than 350 citizens, representing both Northern and Southern Beaufort County, have graduated from the academy. Sandee Brooks, a Bluffton resident for three years and a participant in the spring session, enrolled in the Citizens Police Academy based on the recommendation of a friend who had taken the course. "I wanted to have a better understanding of how the police force operates in a small community," said Brooks, who moved here from Chicago. Brooks gained a better understanding and a whole lot more. "There was so much more information than I had expected, and all of the people presenting information were interesting, professional and upbeat," she said. Students in the Citizens Police Academy learn about everything from the history of crime prevention to homeland security (terrorism), the drug lab, road rage, identity theft, personal safety, crimes and penalties and being a good witness. The most interesting aspect of the course, Brooks said, was a mock theft that took place during one of the classes in which everyone was asked to report what they could remember about the crime and the suspect. "I really understand the importance of being a good witness now," she said. "We were asked to write down everything that we knew we saw - not what we thought we might have seen." A field trip at the end of the course gives students a behind-the-scenes look at county's law enforcement and government centers, detention center and court house, firing range, SWAT (Special Weapons & Tactics) team, the Incident Command Vehicle and the Canine Unit. Another way the sheriff 's office involves the community in helping fight crime is by periodically publishing "most wanted" lists. Public Information Officer Debbie Szpanka came up with the idea after deputies had requested her assistance in tracking criminals they were having trouble catching. "Now I go to the deputies and say, 'Give me a list of your most frustrating cases,'" said Szpanka, who then disseminates the information to local media outlets. Szpanka publishes four "most wanted" lists - Hardened Criminals, Sex Offenders, Delinquent Dads and Reckless Writers - people who frequently write fraudulent checks and victimize county business and residents. The average catch rate for all of the lists is 48 percent, said Szpanka, who started publishing them in November 2002. "The more information we give the public, the more information the public gives us," Szpanka said. "Eventually it becomes a continuous cycle that benefits us and them." "We have thousands of outstanding warrants, and this helps us to clear out the system so we can move on to the other cases," Szpanka said. "It makes it a lot more efficient when there are several other eyes and ears looking for these suspects than just the deputies'." For example, Szpanka said, sheriff 's deputies were able to make a delinquent dad arrest based on a tip from someone who knew the whereabouts of a man on that list. He was a substitute teacher who happened to be working at a school that day, and deputies were able to locate and arrest him. "Any tip is helpful, even if it comes from outside of our jurisdiction, because warrants are put into a national system," Szpanka said. The criteria for putting someone on a delinquent dad or fraudulent check most wanted list include the number of attempts deputies have tried to serve a warrant, the dollar amount and/or the number of outstanding warrants a person has. The criteria for the hardened criminals list also includes the number of warrants issued as well as the seriousness of the crime. The sex offenders most wanted list is dedicated to convicted sex offenders who have failed to register with the BCSO. According to South Carolina law, a convicted sex offender must register his or her address with the local sheriff 's office every year. So far, the sheriff 's office has made one arrest on the sex offender list, a 14 percent catch rate, but has located several others either in jail or out of state. The out-of-state sex offenders will be served warrants if and when they return to Beaufort County. The next session of the Citizens Police Academy starts in August. Classes are held on Tuesdays in Beaufort and on Thursdays on Hilton Head Island. For more information or to register for the class, call Lt. Tom Smith at 470-3292, or Midge Scott at 470-3271. The class is free. ™