Welcome to my blog post as the Sheriff of Lexington County. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your Sheriff over the past seven months. As a lifelong resident of Lexington County, I don’t consider my role as Sheriff simply as a job. It’s a calling and a responsibility.
My focus is on providing excellent service to citizens, the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and the vigilant protection of our community from criminals. We’ve done that since I was sworn in on April 24 and you can be confident we’ll continue to do it.
On behalf of the entire Sheriff’s Department, I would like to thank you for the trust you have placed in us, and we commit to making the department, and county, a source of pride for everyone.
That’s some of what we’ll talk about here on the Sheriff’s Blog. What we’re doing on your behalf as we protect you and our county.
We’ll also share some ways you can protect your family and loved ones against crime.
There will also be opportunities for me to share with you new things we’re doing as an agency.
I’d like to close this first column by telling you about one of those new things I’m very proud of…our Community Action Team.
It’s known as the CAT team around the office. And, just like a cat, that unit is quietly and nimbly going about its work.
I’ve tasked its members with solidifying as many relationships as possible. Capt. Mark Jones and his team have forged alliances with scores of faith-based groups, scout troops, charitable organizations and non-profits.
They’ll be “tools in our toolbox” when deputies respond to a call that doesn’t entail any criminal activity. The person who initiated that call for service might very well need some help to get on their feet again. I cannot justify sending a squad of deputies out to do community service when people in other areas of the county are waiting for their calls for service to be answered, but I certainly want to get our citizens the help they need. We’ll act as a conduit between the individual and the right organization to provide the needed resource and assistance.
I look forward to sharing some of those success stories, and much more in future columns.