The Community Action Team seeks to form partnerships with various business, church, charity and civic groups throughout Lexington County. The focus of the Community Action Team is leveraging excellent relationships with these various groups to focus on crime prevention, citizen education, community involvement, and meeting the needs of people in distress.
The Community Action Team facilitates the following programs for your church, business, charity or civic group at no charge.
This program is designed for the elderly, handicapped or those who have severe medical problems. This person is usually alone during the day or lives alone. Background information determines qualification for Phone Guard. When accepted for this program telephone contact is made daily by the individual with the Sheriff’s Department. If contact is not made, a deputy is dispatched to the residence.
Too often the victim is forgotten. But our Victim Assistance Officers will see that you are kept advised regarding your case and YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS. In cases where compensation is available, we will be there to ensure that you will not be forgotten.
South Carolina SAVIN – South Carolina Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification System is a free, anonymous telephone program that provides crime victims with two important services:
Information – For inmate custody information, call toll-free 1.866.727.2846 and follow the prompts. SAVIN will allow you to confirm that an offender is in jail and provide you with important custody status information. You can also register at www.vinelink.com.
Notification – Callers can then choose to register for an automated notification call when there is a specific change in the custody status of an offender. To register, callers simply enter the phone number, including area code, where they want to be reached. Callers will then be asked to enter a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for use during notification. The service will automatically call when a change in custody status occurs.
Generally, 50 percent of the residents in a neighborhood are needed for a successful Neighborhood Watch program. A representative from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department will present an overview explaining “How To Organize A Neighborhood Watch.” All Neighborhood Watch groups are required to meet once every three months.
This program is designed to acquaint the residents of Lexington County with the goals, objectives, organizational structure and general operating procedures of the Sheriff’s Department and to promote good will, mutual understanding and community support. Conducted periodically, the program consists of nine sessions, with a total of 27 hours of training. The sessions are held on Tuesday evenings.
For your neighborhood, civic club, fraternal order, church group or place of employment, our trained personnel are available for programs on a variety of topics:
- Business Security
- Career Information
- Workplace Violence
- Holiday Safety
- Gangs
- Con Games/Scams
- Shoplifting Prevention
- Internet Safety
- Home Security
- Crime Prevention
- Armed Robbery(Procedures/Safety)
- Identity Theft
- Social Media Safety
- Scam & Fraud Prevention
Notify the Sheriff’s Department when you will be away from your home for extended periods of time. Our deputies will come by to help keep it safe and secure.
A Community Action Team Deputy will walk with you through and around your home or business and provide you with an assessment of any security weaknesses and recommend steps to correct the problems noted. There is no charge for this service.
Project Lifesaver is a public safety program of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department designed to locate missing “at risk” children and adults with special needs who wander. Using the technology of Project Lifesaver, we are able to track and locate these individuals who wander from their homes or health care facilities.
When you enroll your loved one in the program, you’ll receive a small personal Project Lifesaver transmitter. As it’s worn on the wrist or ankle, the transmitter emits an individualized tracking signal. If an enrolled Project Lifesaver client goes missing, the caregiver notifies us, and deputies respond to the wanderer’s area.
For more information about Project Lifesaver, click here or contact:
John Hatchell
Victim’s Assistance Officer
Office: 803-785-2440
Email: jhatchell@lcsd.sc.gov