Policing has never been an easy job, but in recent years, with civil unrest erupting after highly publicized officer-involved shootings, building and maintaining trust is more important than ever.
That’s why Greenville Police Chief Howie Thompson believes the city police department must focus on strengthening community relationships and partnerships to help fulfill its two main focuses: promoting safety and preventing crimes.
“People got to where they didn’t trust the police and they felt police weren’t transparent, so anything we can do to help build that trust, build relationships, is No. 1,” Thompson said.
With Greenville’s rising numbers of residents and visitors, the police department has worked to adjust the nature of policing to the community’s changing needs.
Various community-oriented policing initiatives have been implemented by the department along with strategies to promote transparency and efforts to maintain a well-trained police force.
Community collaboration
The police department established its Neighborhood Engagement Team in 2021 to build relationships and work with different communities in Greenville. The program was included in the Greenville Police Department Strategic Plan, released in 2021, which outlines the department’s goals for the following five years.
Through the initiative, a team of officers is assigned to a specific neighborhood zone and partners with its residents and businesses to forecast any issues to help prevent crimes in the area. The program also allows NET officers to work with partner law enforcement agencies on community policing efforts.
The program includes four neighborhood zones that are each patrolled by NET officers. Thompson said the teams assigned to each zone are valuable because each neighborhood has its own unique problems that need to be addressed.
“It gives more personalized service,” Thompson said. “It really just increases the teamwork and the relationship between our community, the police department and the city.”
John Jones, executive director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association, said NET programs are now being used across the state.
“It works,” Jones said. “We have to have the community on our side. Without the community on our side, we fail.”
The department’s community-policing efforts rely on its partnerships with both the residents it serves and the city. Along with community cooperation, Thompson attributes Greenville’s almost 20% decrease in violent crime in 2022 to the partnership between federal, state and local police agencies.
Another initiative the police department is currently working on is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program designed to deter potential offenders from committing a crime, reduce firearm violence and prevent youth involvement in gangs.
“We will call people in, meet with them and say, ‘Hey, what do you need? We feel like you are going down the wrong path. Do you need education? Can we get you a skill? Can we get you a job?’” Thompson explained. “So it’s about recognizing the people that might be headed down the wrong path and meeting with them and offering them services.”
Service providers, nonprofits, churches, technical schools and reentry programs partner with the police department to provide services and opportunities for individuals going through the PSN program.
The police department received a federal grant and started the pilot program in the Nicholtown community last year. Thompson said the next step is to start working on expanding PSN to other neighborhoods in the city.
Promoting transparency
To help build community trust, the police department provides the public with information on its operations through different outlets.
“We’re communicating with our public,” Thompson said. “We use our website, putting reports on there — our use-of-force reports and our complaint reports. We have a public safety citizens review board that reviews our complaints against the officers. That’s another level of transparency.”
The police department uses social media platforms to provide the community with information. Jones said this is a common communication technique for departments across the state.
“Social media, while it has its downs, it definitely is a great link that we can get directly to our citizens,” Jones said.
The police department’s community-outreach programs such as the Citizens Academy and ride-along program also allow citizens to see firsthand the operations of the police department.
A strong force
In order to effectively serve and protect the Greenville community, Thompson said it’s important to have well-trained officers who know the area and its residents.
“We have maintained nearly a full force over the past several years when you’ve seen other agencies suffering, trying to bring in help and fill slots. We have not had that problem,” Thompson said.
The police department currently has more than 200 officers with only five to six vacancies. In comparison, South Carolina had an estimated 4,200 police officer vacancies in 2022 and about 5,000 vacancies so far in 2023, Jones said.
“We’re not getting better, which is unfortunate, but a lot of our problem that we’ve noticed is just turnover,” Jones said. “I know Greenville’s actually fairing better than a lot of departments in the state. They’ve got a secret up there. We can’t figure it out.”
Thompson said the salary increase approved by Greenville City Council recently has helped the department maintain a full staff. In 2020, the city increased starting wages for officers from $19 per hour to $21.25 per hour.
Besides offering competitive salaries, Thompson also credited the positive support from the community in helping create a good and welcoming environment for officers.
“I can’t say enough about it because officers aren’t going to want to work in a community that they don’t feel appreciative by,” Thompson said. “Luckily, here in Greenville, we have a very supportive community.”
Community-Oriented Policing: A philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address immediate conditions that give rise to public-safety issues.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Neighborhood Zones – Information according to the Greenville Police Department
- Zone 1
- Includes the Central Business District and the western portion of the city
- 2.82 square miles
- A population of approximately 8,000
- 26 patrol officers are assigned
- Priorities: using resources such as bicycles and electric motorcycles to enhance officer mobility in congested areas; patrolling the Swamp Rabbit Trail; working with residents and businesses to address issues related to the transient population in the area
- Zone 2
- Located in the northernmost section of the city, emphasis along the Rutherford and Pete Hollis corridors
- 6.64 square miles
- A population of approximately 25,000.
- Three sergeants, two master patrolmen and 20 officers are assigned
- Priorities: proactive enforcement activities near accident-prone intersections and roadways; utilizing crime analysis data to address hot spots in and around apartment communities; patrolling parks and green spaces; developing and maintaining relationships with area residents through actively involved neighborhood associations
- Zone 3
- The largest zone containing a significant amount of retail and commercial properties, such as the Haywood Road and Woodruff Road corridors
- 10.25 square miles
- A population of approximately 9,436
- Nineteen patrol officers are assigned
- Priorities: addressing the increase in auto break-ins along the Woodruff Road corridor; working with human-services providers to identify and assist the homeless population; collaborating with major retailers to reduce shoplifting calls; patrolling major shopping areas and apartment complexes to prevent recurring crimes
- Zone 4
- Includes the Nicholtown, Pleasant Valley, Heritage and Gower Estates neighborhoods
- 9.15 square miles
- Nineteen patrol officers are assigned
- A population of approximately 23,080
- Priorities: focused patrols in the Nicholtown and Shemwood communities to address youth and gang-related activity; proactive patrols in Cleveland Park, Skyland Park and Gower Park; periodic use of unmarked vehicles to address auto break-ins in residential areas; community education/awareness regarding gangs; building relationships with community leaders and property managers
- Central Business District (Within Zone 1)
- Fourteen officers assigned specifically to the CBD
