The purpose of my blog and our website is to allow the public to have easier and more convenient access to our department.  You will be able to write comments and ask questions concerning our department and law enforcement in general, and I will attempt to answer through this blog.  We want the website to be interesting, and sometimes humorous, but always informative.  It is our goal to be able to inform and educate the public on why we do things the way we do so that you have a better understanding of the law and how we operate.  We also hope that this blog will assist individuals who are thinking of joining our profession to better understand the job and what it entails.  There is obviously a lot of interest in what we do; otherwise there wouldn’t have been about ten new cop shows on TV just this summer.  And have you seen the new fall lineup?  More cop shows.  What you see on TV and in the movies, although entertaining, is not reality.  We are public servants and are under the scrutiny of the public we serve.  We must use discretion and be able to make split second decisions.

One of the first questions I would like to address in this blog is:  Do police officers really like doughnuts more than the general public?  I was recently reading an article on the computer about an incident in another state where a police officer wrapped a patrol car around a pole while responding to assist another officer who was in a foot chase with a violator.  When I read articles on the web, I always like to read the comments posted by other readers.  One commenter stated that the officer must have dropped his doughnut in the floorboard which caused his foot to slip off the brake.  Obviously, this writer was trying to be funny in putting down the police.  Ha, ha.  I’m glad the officer is alive.  The article also went on to say that this particular officer made the highest amount of DUI cases for his department, which, in my book, says that he is a good officer and works hard to protect the public. 

So, do police officers really love doughnuts?  Well, just like the public in general, some do and some don’t.  Personally, I love them, although I try to keep it in moderation.  I know some officers who will not go into a doughnut shop just because of the stereotype.  I do not have this problem.  It may just be coincidence that the Krispy Kreme in my county is located so close to the jail…which is very convenient on night shift to get a cup of coffee and something to eat.  One thing that I do know about police work is that you have to eat when you can, and that often means going through a drive through window and eating in your car.  But if you are responding to a call, you throw the package on the seat beside you.  I don’t know of any officers who continue to eat in a chase or when responding to a call.  They are focused on the task at hand.  Many officers today are, like many of you, more health conscious than they were in the past.  They try to eat right and they exercise.  But whether you are a police officer, a firefighter, or an EMT, eating right is often hard due to the demands of the job. 

Police officers, in general, are just like you. We have families, we go to church, we pay taxes, and sometimes we eat doughnuts.  The job duties that we perform may be much different from what you do.  There are different people for different jobs.  Did you ever look at someone performing a job and think “I wouldn’t want to make a living doing that”?  Law enforcement might fall into that category.  It does not always make us popular, though, when we have to put someone in jail in order to keep the public safe.  Did I mention all the paperwork we have to do?  They really don’t show that part of the job very often on TV.  It’s not very exciting.

If you have questions that you would like to have answered in this blog, please send them in.  I’ll try to get you an answer.  But right now, I’ve got to brush the doughnut crumbs off my shirt.

Check back here regularly for the latest news updates. As breaking news happens that we alert you of, you will see it here first. As always, you are welcome to cal our crime hotline with concerns or to report a crime: 888 CRIME SC

Below are some links to crime statistics, crime rates and other safety and security issues affecting Duncan and surrounding areas. If you’re looking for information you don’t see here, we’re routinely updating this page to better serve you.

SC Statistical Abstracts

• Current statistical abstract | 1998

SC Crime and Public Safety Reports

• South Carolina Department of Corrections – Statistical Reports – includes inmate populations & offense distributions
• South Carolina Office of Highway Safety – Statistics – traffic collision fact books
• Police protection and crime – police expenditures, crime rates, & arrests – SC compared to Southeast and US
• US Bureau of Justice Statistics
• FBI Crime Statistics and Reports – Uniform Crime Reports
• White House Social Statistics Briefing Room – crime statistics