If I am elected to serve as your next Sheriff, I will introduce what I call “The Mayberry Philosophy” to our policing practices. I believe that law enforcement officers are a vital part of the community and we can no longer separate ourselves from the communities in which we patrol. We must unite as one with the community in order to restore trust and rebuild relationships. Additionally, I believe that is a must for police officers to have the right police car equipment so that they can assist the community the way the are supposed to. If I am elected to serve as your next Sheriff, all of our deputies must buy into The Mayberry Philosophy.
Per F.B.I. and S.L.E.D. statistics, the crime rate in Richland County is 119% above the national average! Richland County is #1 in the state for violent crimes and we are #25 in the nation for the most violent places to live in America. This is unacceptable on every level!
If you elect me to become your next Sheriff, I will work day and night to reduce our crime rate and make Richland County safe again! I also plan to introduce several programs that will be aimed at protecting our youth and keeping them safe from gangs and drugs. Our children are a vital part of our community and I will not allow them to live in fear!
Below is a list of things that I plan to implement that will help to reduce crime in Richland County and get us on the road to becoming one of the safest places to live in America!
The Resident Deputy Program – Deputies will work in the communities where they live. They will be responsible for establishing relationships with their neighbors, attending community events and functions and reducing and preventing crime in their assigned community.
Project Safe Neighbor – The Sheriff’s Department will purchase homes in high crime areas of Richland County and allow a deputy to live there rent-free. These deputies will become a part of these communities and they will be responsible for finding solutions to the crime in that specific community.
SWAT Sports – Free sports program for at-risk-youth that live in Richland County (Basketball, Baseball, Football, Boxing & Martial Arts).
Project Safe Haven – Free afterschool program for at-risk youth that live in Richland County that will focus on their gifts and talents (dance, music, singing, acting and performing)
Big Brothers & Sisters in Blue – Mentoring program facilitated by our deputies for youth ages (6-18)
Sheriff’s Cadets Program – I will employ youth ages (16-20) that desire to work in law enforcement as a career.
Richland County Mobile Crime Watch – We will develop a smartphone application that will help our citizens to report crime directly to us as it happens. They will also be able to send crime tips and receive alerts about major incidents, missing persons, runaways and other incidents that occur in Richland County.
Richland County Crime Intelligence Unit – This unit will be established to fight crime through technology and intelligence. Computer data and statistics are very important and this unit will use that information to help the Sheriff’s Department to predict and prevent crime in our county. This unit will also be able to tell us when and where to focus our resources to where they are most effective.
Richland County Domestic Violence Enforcement Unit – Domestic violence continues to be a very big issue in our state and county, with South Carolina ranking extremely high for over a decade. I will implement a dedicated unit that will respond to and investigate domestic violence incidents. There are far too many victims that do not receive the justice that they deserve. I will change that for domestic violence victims in our county.
Richland County Veterans Protection Unit – This unit’s mission will be to identify and assist the veterans of our county that may be struggling with P.T.S.D. or other mental health challenges from war. Our veterans are our heroes and should not be treated like criminals for things that they have no control over. This unit will take proactive measures to assist our veterans in getting the help that they need if the need arises.
Richland County/Columbia Police Consolidation – It will be my intention to begin talks with the City of Columbia to explore the idea of possibly consolidating both the Columbia Police Department and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department into one agency. I believe that we have one common goal and that is to reduce crime and make Columbia and Richland County one of the safest places to live in America. If combining our resources will better serve the citizens of Columbia and Richland County, I am willing to have that discussion to see if this would be viable and effective at reducing crime.
If you have any questions please feel free to visit our website www.roberts4sheriff2020.com or call us at 803.767.0247
