DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – Sunday night Darlington police attended a forum at Macedonia Baptist Missionary Church that discussed bridging the gap between police and the community.
According to the post on the Darlington Police Department Facebook page, Chief Daniel Watson, along with other officers and community representatives sat on a panel answering questions from the public.
Watson responded to questions about minorities in the police force and revealed 47 percent of Darlington Police staff are minorities and 47 percent of commanding personnel are also minorities.
Officers also reviewed the procedure for reporting formal complaints.
“First we will talk to the person and give them an opportunity to file a formal complaint. This is followed by a review of all video in reference to this matter. If there is any evidence found via video or other witness information depending upon the severity of the complaint it will be administratively handled or referred to another agency,” the Facebook post by chief Watson said.
Police also talked about the many ways they benefit the community besides just policing and patrolling.
“There are a number of programs that we do. Most of them are related to children and the elderly. We have a program for building rails and ramps for those who cannot do it or have it done because of inability to pay. We have several programs in the schools to work with children in helping them to build both self-esteem and life skills. We have a summer program to help children with math, reading, physical fitness and leadership skills. We have an empowerment program at DCIS to help children to obtain access to job training, educational opportunities and to learn about serving your community. We are working on a program for allowing our SRO’s in the High Schools to educate students about interaction with law enforcement,” Watson said.
Watson also mentioned some of the misconceptions about the department, like officers wanting to put people in jail or the false belief that the police force has quotas for citations.
“If you have a complaint my door is always open and I always answer my phone. If you do not feel comfortable coming to the police department I will come to you. We cannot fix something that we do not know is broken. Our officers are on body video constantly and we review law enforcement interactions frequently. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you have an issue. I cannot and will not promise I can fix everything because I cannot. I will however be glad to take the time to speak to anyone who feels that they would like to do that. If you do not want to talk to me then speak to your council person if you live in the city or county council person if you live in the county. I am not afraid of complaints and if we are doing something we shouldn’t we will resolve it,” the post said.
