LANCASTER, S.C. — Local county and state law enforcement officials held a community public forum Thursday, March 14, to address a number of issues occurring throughout the crime world.
Held at USC Lancaster, a number of guests were on hand to address questions from residents of Lancaster County. S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, 6th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Nicole Workman, Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile, Lancaster Police Chief Don Roper and Lancaster County Coroner Karla Deese all participated in the forum.
Each gave a brief introduction of the roles and responsibilities of their respective jobs, as well as news happening from each of their offices. A Q&A session followed the introductions, which allowed audience members to ask their own questions.
Wilson discussed both statewide and national crime issues, which included the ongoing fentanyl and drug trafficking crisis. He talked about a recent drug bust in January, in which authorities obtained over a kilogram of fentanyl.
Wilson said that a kilogram is enough fentanyl to kill about 250,000 South Carolinians, if distributed.
“A lot of it’s coming in from the Southern border and the Mexican drug cartels are coordinating with gangs here in South Carolina,” he said.
Human trafficking and the Internet Crimes against Children Task Force was also addressed by Wilson, who said that more predators are using social media and gaming platforms to exploit children. He warned that cyberbullying and suicide rates could increase if the issue isn’t addressed.
“The world has gotten a lot more complex than 30 years ago. It was just violent crime on the street, and now it’s in our bedrooms,” Wilson said.
At the local level, Faile and Roper discussed the need for recruiting and retaining officers throughout Lancaster County. Roper emphasized the need to use social media to increase the quality of the applicant pool, along with being present at college and career fairs.
“We have to evolve with the times and get the word out on different platforms. What worked 20 years ago may not work anymore and you have to be willing to look at different ways to try and be innovative,” Roper said.
Faile agreed with Roper, and added that calls for services increased 68% from 2010 to 2020.
With Lancaster County being one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, Failee said that it’s paramount to make sure law enforcement is set up in a successful manner to keep up with the growth.
“We have got to keep up with the community and stay competitive with these other law enforcement agencies,” Faile said.
