Florence officials promote, improve downtown safety

Editor’s note: This is the second in a five-part series on downtown revitalization. SATURDAY: A history of revitalization and why it’s needed SUNDAY: Downtown Florence and the perception of violent crime MONDAY: Downtown business owners worry about their future TUESDAY: Francis Marion University provides tools to help small businesses stay afloat WEDNESDAY: Downtown Florence and the drawing power of good design and art

FLORENCE — It’s 10 p.m. on a Tuesday, and downtown Florence is a ghost town. The lights and signs from Five Points are a faint glimmer. Empty streets have the occasional car, a fluorescent glow emanates from the Art Trail Gallery in the former Kimbrell’s building and street lights dot the downtown area to Lucas Street and back to the intersection of Dargan and Palmetto streets.

This is the way it is every night, said Florence Police Chief Anson Shells, in a downtown area that is as quiet as a country road.

“In the night time, the downtown pretty much becomes vacant. Most businesses close around 6 p.m. or before, so they leave. When that happens, crime tends to leave, too,” Shells said. “I know a lot of people have a concern about downtown, and there is a perception of downtown as a very violent and dangerous place, but the fact that most of the crime that happens in the downtown area happens to be property crimes, particularly arsonists.

“As for violence, we don’t often see violent crime occurring in downtown,” he said. “We do have a number of vehicle break-ins that have happened in the downtown area, but the perception that downtown is just a dangerous place to be is the wrong perception to have.”

Renee Bazen, owner of Vintage Vogue on South Irby Street, has been in downtown Florence for nearly three years and spent many a night in her shop in the heart of the downtown area.

“I feel very safe on Irby Street. I feel no hesitation about driving down those streets,” she said. “I could see somebody being hesitant because not everything is open. I’ve not had any trouble whatsoever and that’s kind of surprised me.”

Crime in downtown Florence, Shells said, is no different than crime anywhere else in Florence.

“I don’t have any reason to think that crime in downtown is in anyway unique,” he said. “Because it is a business district, certain crimes do happen.

“We have had a number of car break-ins in the downtown area because there are a lot of cars down here during the daytime,” he said. “The hours make a difference as well. At night, there aren’t a lot of people in the downtown area, so crime goes down. As far as any noticeable trend in the downtown area, something that would catch our attention down here and say that we have a problem with crime, I cannot say that I have experienced that or anyone in my staff has experienced anything like that, but it is certainly something we monitor.”

Sandy Sewell, operator of S&J Antiques, also on South Irby Street, doesn’t entirely agree with Shells’ assessment. She said safety is one aspect of the old downtown Florence she misses.

“We live in different times with the drugs being so everywhere. You don’t know what comes out after dark and I’ve heard a lot of stories of the gas companies working downtown,” she said, “(but) I think if we can get the police substation down here watching, merchants would feel a lot safer.”

Construction has begun on North Dargan Street to erect a police substation on the property of local pediatrician Dr. John Keith.

“Our substation will be manned by an officer full time. Our substation will also house our community services division, which now consists of three officers,” Shells said. “It will also house our evening watch committee, which are lieutenants who are responsible for patrol operations in the city throughout the night. We’re going to make a greater presence in downtown in the near future.”

Mayor Stephen J. Wukela said security is one of the top issues of his administration.

“People are concerned not only about the crime rate in the city as a whole, but also its effect on the ability to revitalize downtown. We are in the process of finalizing a budget for the next fiscal year (and) one of the things I’m focusing on in that budget, although it’s a difficult fiscal time, is hiring the additional 18 police officers that I called for during the campaign,” Wukela said. “I’d like to see (and) I think (Chief Shells) is committed to a good portion of those (new officers), maybe as many as half of those officers, in a community action team unit, a unit that is going to address issues of gang activity and drug activity, particularly in that area. I think that’ll improve the situation.”

Wukela said the substation also will be an important component for improving the process of downtown revitalization.

“I think a police presence right in the core of downtown will improve people’s feeling of security to go downtown,” he said.
Shells agreed.

“People want to see us. They want us to become officers that they know, which is the essence of community policing, which is what this department subscribes to — always has,” he said. “It just reverts back to the old days when officers did more foot patrol and that’s what I want to accomplish in the downtown area. But not only downtown, I want to accomplish it in other areas of the city as well.

Shells said he thinks public perception is growing more positive, although it still is hesitant.

“The negative perception that has existed, I cannot explain to you why it’s existed. There are a lot of vacant businesses downtown that have been unkempt, so that gives a negative impression, but as far as violence and that type of thing? That’s not the case in downtown, but I believe public perception is changing because (the public) can see growth happening,” he said. “You can see the (Francis Marion University) Performing Arts Center coming, the library’s down here now. The Florence Little Theatre is here.”

Shells said his department uses an electric vehicle ideal for patrolling between business and the streets in downtown as well as occasional foot patrols and other specialty vehicles. The police substation could be built as soon as mid-summer, he said.