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TO CONGRATULATE THE CITY OF WEST COLUMBIA FOR WINNING A 2007 MUNICIPAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM THE MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA FOR ITS EFFORTS TO REDUCE CRIMINAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
Whereas, the members of the Senate are very pleased to learn that the City of West Columbia received a 2007 Municipal Achievement Award for its efforts to reduce domestic violence; and
Whereas, the award was presented during the Municipal Association of South Carolina's 67th Annual Meeting in Greenville on July 14, 2007. The city won in the public safety category. A total of thirty-six municipalities participated in the 2007 Achievement Awards competition; and
Whereas, the West Columbia Police Department has augmented its training, manpower, and technology in an effort to crack down on domestic violence cases; and
Whereas, in 2004, the West Columbia Police Department was faced with an overwhelming number of family violence cases. To make matters worse, the department had no investigators with the specialized training needed to deal with these cases; and
Whereas, the department received a grant to fund a dedicated family violence investigator. This person received specialized training in the dynamics of family violence and was able to devote time and attention to these sensitive cases; and
Whereas, the department's efforts paid off. In the first year of the grant, arrest rates for criminal domestic violence jumped to forty-six percent. Arrests for child abuse and neglect increased from five before the grant to eighty-six in the grant's first year. Elder abuse and neglect arrests increased from zero before the grant to three in the grant's first year; and
Whereas, it soon became apparent one investigator was not enough. West Columbia hired a second investigator in the second year of the grant. These investigators also took on sexual assault cases. Additionally, the specially trained investigators began sharing their knowledge by developing training for other officers within the department; and
Whereas, the department also used technology to combat family violence. The city equipped patrol division officers with kits that include digital and video cameras, digital recorders, evidence bags, and crime scene tape. In addition, the department purchased emergency supplies for victims, including clothing, underwear, shoes, and toiletry items. These items have been used for children who were moved into emergency protective custody and for sexual assault victims whose clothing was needed for evidence; and
Whereas, the department then took the unique step of providing electronic voice translators and wearable video cameras to officers in the field. The translators allow officers to interact with citizens from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and languages. Officers can say common phrases that are integral to the investigation of domestic violence and other crimes against women. The device then verbally translates the phrase to the victim or suspect in his or her native language; and
Whereas, the wearable audio/video devices are worn discreetly by patrol officers to videotape family violence scenes from the time an officer arrives until the perpetrator is taken to jail. This allows a judge or jury to see what happened at a scene and can make a more powerful impact than an officer's testimony alone; and
Whereas, West Columbia city leaders have worked together with public safety officials to protect hometown residents and improve the quality of life for its citizens and families, and this winning entry represents the types of innovative projects undertaken by the City of West Columbia that have made it one of South Carolina's best municipalities. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate the City of West Columbia for winning a 2007 Municipal Achievement Award from the Municipal Association of South Carolina for its efforts to reduce criminal domestic violence.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the mayor of the City of West Columbia.
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