VILLAGE OF SOUTH CHARLESTON
POLICE DEPARTMENT
YEAR END REPORT 2010
The department started the year with two full time Police Officers, Chief Derek Smith and Officer Raymond Myers. The department started the year with six part time Police Officers, Officer Vaughn Apel, Officer Gregory Rice, Officer Kenneth Larson, Officer Brian Redish, Officer Travis Ward, and Officer Matthew Meyer. Officer Raymond Myers resigned in September. The department did not hire another full time Police Officer. Officer Gregory Rice resigned in June and Officer Travis Ward resigned in February. On February 26, the department developed its own auxiliary Police Officer program. George Smith, Meredith Freeman, Shawn Burgert, and Elisabeth Christian were all sworn in as auxiliary Police Officers. George Smith was promoted to part time Police Officer in June, replacing Greg Rice. Also in June, Adrian Hull was sworn in as an auxiliary Police Officer. In September, Kenneth Majercak was sworn in as an auxiliary Police Officer. Also in September, Officer Brian Redish was promoted to Patrol Sergeant. Elisabeth Christian resigned in November and Shawn Burgert resigned in December. Also in December, Richard Conwell and Thomas Hootman were sworn in as auxiliary Police Officers. Meredith Freeman was promoted to part time Police Officer on December 26. The department ended the year with one full time Police Officer, six part time Police Officers, and four auxiliary Police Officers.
The Auxiliary donated a total of 734 hours to the department for the year. Auxiliary officers helped by working details such as trick or treat and Christmas in the village. Auxiliary officers also trained with other officers and assisted the department as needed.
The department’s patrol vehicles have held up with no significant problems, however, the 2006 Ford Crown Vic was in and out of the shop several times with miscellaneous issues. New tires were put on the 2006 Ford Crown Vic in December. In March, the decision was made to order a new patrol vehicle. The department ordered a 2010 Dodge Charger. The 2010 Dodge Charger was delivered on August 16. So far, the Dodge Charger has been a very reliable vehicle. In July, the 2006 Ford Crown Vic was striped to match the color scheme and striping package of the 2010 Dodge Charger. The 2002 Chevrolet Impala was taken out of service in August and will be auctioned off in 2011. The Impala ended its career with 128,132 miles. The 2006 Ford Crown Vic ended the year with 114,596 miles. The 2010 Dodge Charger ended the year with approximately 11,500 miles. All vehicles received an oil change every 3,000 miles and/or 3 months. No accidents involving a patrol vehicle were reported.
In January, the department purchased a Taser X26. All officers were certified to carry the Taser. The department adopted a policy regarding the use of the Taser in February. At that time, the department also adopted a new “response to resistance / aggression” policy. This policy replaced an outdated “use of force” policy. Also at the beginning of the year, a new Lexmark printer and copy machine was purchased. The Lexmark printer and copy machine was used by the Police Department and Mayor’s Court. Toward the middle of the year, the department purchased a new HP laptop in reference to the older laptop breaking beyond repair. A new air card for the laptop was also purchased, replacing an older air card that also broke beyond repair. In April, the department installed new software on the laptop that assisted officers in the performance of their duties. The software, commonly referred to as a “MDT,” was created and licensed by Tac Computer Incorporated. The MDT was used by officers on a daily basis. The MDT was able to identify stolen vehicles, wanted persons, suspended drivers, persons with conceal carry permits, and several other law enforcement related factors. In November, the department purchased new chairs for the office, replacing older chairs that were previously in the office. In December, the department purchased a Garret super wand metal detector. The department will begin using the metal detector as a safety precaution for Mayor’s Court on January 4, 2011.
Toward the beginning of 2010, a police patch display was created and the department’s office was redecorated. The department will continue collecting police patches from various different law enforcement agencies and will continue displaying them proudly in the office. So far, the police department has collected 81 patches.
In August, Clark County received a grant to fund an OVI Task Force. The department joined the OVI Task Force and entered into contract with the Clark County Combined Health District to receive grant money toward the department’s contribution. The department received $7664.00 in grant money. The department teamed up with the Clark County Sheriffs Office, the Springfield Police Division, the Enon Police Department, the German Township Police Department, and the North Hampton Police Department to form the Task Force. The Task Force was designed to deter and apprehend intoxicated drivers by implementing sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols in Clark County.
Throughout the year, Officers received several different types of training. In January, officers received certification in the handling and use of the Taser X26. In August, officers were recertified in first aid and CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation). Officers were recertified with their firearms in October. Officers also received continual professional training in several other aspects of law enforcement throughout the year.
For the year, the department answered approximately 1863 calls for service (dispatched and non dispatched calls, traffic stops, special details, etc.), took 390 reports, issued approximately 375 charges, and handled 22 accidents. The following charts and statistics will break down the above categories.
Reports By Month
TOTALS:
2009 = 370 Reports
2010 = 393 Reports
Traffic Offenses
TOTALS 2010 TOTALS 2009
Traffic stops = 560 Traffic stops = 535
Total traffic offenses observed = 686 Total traffic offenses observed = unk
Traffic offenses charged (Individual offenses) = 311 Total offenses charged = 180
Traffic offenses warned (Individual offenses) = 375 Total offenses warned = unk
The fastest speed violations were as follows; 39mph in a 20mph zone, 45mph in a 25mph zone, 61mph in a 35mph zone, 61mph in a 45mph zone, and 96mph in a 50mph zone. The average speeding citation was for 14.82 (15) mph over the posted speed limit.
FELONY OFFENSES
Yearly Comparison
Drug Offenses 2010
Number of people charged and type of drug possessed
Marijuana 9
Prescription Pills 1
Cocaine 1
Illegal Cultivation 1
Misdemeanor Criminal Offenses
Misdemeanor Criminal Offenses
Yearly Comparison
Most Frequent Offenses
Traffic Crashes 2010
Total Crashes: 22
Citations Issued: 15
Of the twenty-two accidents, two were injury accidents. There were fifteen accident reports taken on roadways and seven accident reports taken on private property. There were four hit and run accidents, zero accidents involving three or more vehicles, and zero accidents involving animals. The area of North Chillicothe Street and Columbus Road was the most frequent location for roadway accidents. Yamada North America was the most frequent location for private property accidents. Eleven accident reports were taken between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm, nine accident reports were taken between the hours of 4:00pm and 12:00am, and two accident reports were taken between the hours of 12:00am and 8:00am.
Calls for Service 2010
Not listed: Special Details = 742
A special detail may represent a wide variety of law enforcement related duties including but not limited to escorts, trips to the courthouse, trips to the garage for vehicle maintenance, testifying in court, providing bailiff duties for court, providing security for the high school or middle school, washing patrol vehicles, providing lock out assistance, bike path care, parades, etc.