Community Policing

A proactive Sheriff' Office is based in your community and not based out of a building in Pickens. Deputies must be connected to the community they serve. A Sheriff must also be connected to the community. This connection is the basis of community policing.

MOST OF ALL, A COMMUNITY POLICING PROGRAM IS NOT SOMETHING YOU TRY TO IMPLEMENT 8 MONTHS BEFORE A REPUBLICAN PRIMARY AND CALL IT TRUE COMMUNITY POLICING.

Community Policing is a philosophy of service to the community.

Every Community in Pickens County will have an assigned deputy to serve the community they work in. Out of the many communities in Pickens County,

Zion;
Flat Rock;
Cateechee/Norris;
Prater's Creek;
Holly Springs;
Sunset;
Eastatoee;
Pumpkintown;
Midway;
Dacusville;
Crossroads;
Cedar Rock;
Griffin;
Liberty;
Easley;
Central;
Pickens;
Clemson; and more,

Six Mile is the only community to have an assigned deputy.

Why is that?

Doesn't every community deserve quality community policing in their area?

Every community in Pickens County deserves a community policing program that encourages deputies to be part of a community and have the authority to address problems in that community. Assigning a deputy to ride around in an area is not community policing. Working with you in the community to solve the community's problems together is what community policing is all about. It is this community-based philosophy that will guide the Pickens County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Clark.

Community policing is more than just being in your neighborhood. Community policing is when the deputy and the citizen alike develop ownership of their community. Both deputy and citizen work together to solve community problems. These problems can be small like teenagers driving too fast or the scourge of methamphetamine in many parts of our county. The Sheriff's Office must go into these communities seeking help from the citizens and form partnerships to fight crime.

Community Policing and Illegal Immigration

One tool that a sheriff should have in today’s Community Policing Toolbox is the ability to deal with illegal immigrants who continue to break the law at the local level.  This tool is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) 287g Program.  This program is best described by the Department of Homeland Security’s web site,

“Terrorism and criminal activity are most effectively combated through a multi-agency/multi-authority approach that encompasses federal, state and local resources, skills and expertise. State and local law enforcement play a critical role in protecting our homeland because they are often the first responders on the scene when there is an incident or attack against the United States . During the course of daily duties, they will often encounter foreign-born criminals and immigration violators who pose a threat to national security or public safety.”

The cross-designation between ICE and state and local law enforcement allows for local and state officers necessary resources and latitude to pursue investigations relating to

violent crimes,
human smuggling,
gang/organized crime activity,
sexual-related offenses,
narcotics smuggling and money laundering; and increased resources and support in more remote geographical locations.”

Sheriff Clark will have ICE trained deputies that can address community problems by ridding communities of criminals that are illegal aliens.  The focus of this program is not to round up illegal immigrants for the federal government, but it is to rid our community of criminals who can harm our families and then blend into the abyss of the illegal immigration subculture.  The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office will be prepared, under Sheriff Clark, to deal with criminal illegal immigrants who break state and local laws.




One aspect of a good community policing program is to prepare for the future.  South Carolina is seeing the first signs of the horrific Hispanic gang MS-13.   It is only a matter of time before they are here in Pickens County.  This is probably the most important reason to have a Sheriff’s Office that is prepared to deal with illegal immigrant gangs.

The status quo will say that there is not enough room in the jail, I don’t have the manpower to do the federal government’s job, and that is not our job.  Sheriff Clark will say that protecting our communities is the job of the Sheriff and will use all tools necessary to accomplish that mission. 

Working with ICE, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office can deport criminals that are breaking the laws of our state.  Sheriff Clark will be the leader in using every tool available to fight crime in Pickens County to rid our neighborhoods of illegal immigrants who cannot abide by our laws and the Constitution. Can we continue relying on a broken immigration enforcement system to keep our county safe from the likes of MS-13?  The answer is NO.  We must prepare for the future.

One great example of what can be done when law enforcement works together is what Sheriff Jim Pendergraph of Mecklenburg County, NC has done.  Sheriff Pendergraph has identified and marked for deportation to ICE over 1,000 criminal illegal aliens.  This is cooperative law enforcement at its best.  You can get criminals off the streets and assist ICE in their mission to enforce federal immigration laws by cooperating in the mission to make Pickens County and America a safer place. 

Click on the video below to see the report on CNN. (you may have to click button twice)