Dillon County deputies, residents discuss crime watch organization

LITTLE ROCK — Dillon County Sheriff’s deputies and residents met Tuesday to discuss the implementation of a community crime watch organization that would work toward preventing crime in the area while strengthening the ties between county law enforcement and citizens.

The meeting was held in the Carolina community of the county and was attended by residents of that area who say they are concerned about the crime rate and what’s being done to curb the problem.

Dillon County Sheriff Major Hulon said it has long been a goal of his to start resident-involved, crime-fighting programs across the county. The Carolina community is starting point for the sheriff’s office Community Action Task Force or CAT.

Drugs, home invasions and break-ins are problems not just in the Carolina community but throughout the county and now it’s time to take a proactive approach to crime, he said.

“We are certainly interested in preventive measures rather than responding when needed,” he said. “Everybody is coming together as a team. We are coming together to be proactive.”

In order to execute the task, the deputies need the help of the community, the sheriff said.

“We were discussing our five senses … your eyes and ears man, that’s a big asset,” he said. “The community needs to be our eyes and ears.”

To make communication between the two groups easier, the sheriff’s office is using a camper as a mobile meeting station.

The camper will travel to different areas in the county and will have a deputy on board who will provide information and answer questions for residents, said Dillon County Community Affairs Officer Brenda Campbell.

“That’s your place to come, that’s your place to talk, that your place to fuss,” Campbell told residents at the meeting.

The camper does not have a set schedule, but captains of community crime watch organizations will be notified before the camper visits their area, Thompson said. The camper will be clearly marked with the CAT logo, she said. This is so criminals will know law enforcement and the community are watching.

Hulon said he exchanges law enforcement ideas with other sheriffs, but he also wants to hear from Dillon County residents and get their opinions. Residents can share their thoughts by talking to the deputies when the camper is out and about.

“If somebody in the community has an idea, write it down and bring it to us,” he said.

Residents can call E-911 or the non-emergency dispatch line if they see something suspicious that may need immediate attention, Hulon said.

The sheriff’s office is doing its part to fight crime by implementing a zone system in the county, Hulon said. Officers are assigned to certain zones during their shifts so law enforcement can have a presence in the area and respond to calls quickly, he said.

Thompson said Hulon and his deputies wanted to start in the Carolina community because of the interest Little Rock resident Carolyn Chavis-Bolton showed in starting a neighborhood watch organization.

Chavis–Bolton, who is also the chief of the Pee Dee Indian Nation of Upper South Carolina, said the area is heavily populated by Native Americans.

“We’ve been forgotten for a long time,” she said. “We have crime in the area that goes unreported, and we wanted to do something about it.”
Chavis-Bolton, the Pee Dee Indian Nation and other residents are now working to organize the area’s first community crime watch organization. The hope is for the idea to spread throughout Dillon County, she said.

“We’re taking baby steps. We’re not perfect,” Hulon said. “I like that word, stellar. Maybe one day we will be able to provide that stellar service.”