DCSO ‘making better cases’ and getting better results, sheriff says
Sheriff James Hudson. FILE PHOTO
By Bobby Bryant, Editor
editor@newsandpress.net
The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office is having more success in court for a simple reason, says Sheriff James Hudson: They’re making better cases.
“The courts are getting better,” Hudson told County Council in a briefing at council’s July 11 meeting. “We’re making better cases. … We’ve instilled in all our officers to make better cases, and communicate with the magistrates and communicate with the solicitor’s office even before we start making charges.”
“That makes a big difference,” said Hudson. “That way, everybody’s on board. That way, we’re going forward, and you kind of get what you want to get out of it. We’ve got court again this week. … Some people are going to get out and some people won’t. Some people are going to be able to meet their bond and some people won’t.”
Councilman Le Flowers was impressed by the Sheriff’s Office recent track record in terms of deputies dealing with people without trouble flaring up.
“You had over 2,000 contacts (with citizens) in the month of June?” Flowers asked.
“Two thousand, two hundred and thirty-five,” Hudson said.
“And every one of those had the potential to go sideways or have a problem,” Flowers said. “That’s amazing that you had that much contact and you did not have issues.”
Hudson said, “We do have a young crowd (among deputies), but we also have some seasoned leadership. We’ve been around a while. … When we started, things were different. Things are different now as well. We’re just trying to keep up with the times.”
“We do in-service training once a month, at the Sheriff’s Office, not at the Academy (in Columbia),” Hudson said. Officers also have to do additional training to make sure they have put in enough hours in a given time to keep their certification as law-enforcement officers.
“Everybody’s trying to make sure that we have people out there that’s going to do the right thing, and understand their roles,” he said.
During June, Hudson said, sheriff’s deputies answered more than 2,000 calls, wrote 500 reports and made 82 arrests. There were no homicides in the county that month, he said.
