DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – The Darlington County Council has approved a request from the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office for $200,000 in funding for a new evidence center. The council voted in favor of the request on Monday night.
Currently, the deputy in charge of collecting evidence (evidence custodian) is storing evidence in old jail cells that were built in the 1970s. The sheriff’s office is seeking a new and improved facility complete with the space, tools and resources they need to properly store and preserve evidence in cases that can take a long time to investigate, like homicides and sexual assaults. Lieutenant Robby Kilgo says the new evidence center would be an all encompassing building and would consist of everything the evidence custodian needs to adequately perform the duties of his job.
“All those tools and resources will be in that one building. The evidence custodian will have an office there, rooms for record keeping and other evidence will be in there. It will be fenced in so items that can be stored outside will be able to be stored outside,” said Lt. Kilgo.
He says they want to make sure they are able preserve evidence, like fingerprints and DNA, long enough and to ensure that cases are properly disposed of in court. Another goal is to make sure they hold people accountable for the crimes they’ve committed.
“It can assure that when we investigate something, when we put someone in jail, that that evidence is properly being retained under state law and under federal law,” he said. “So, when it’s time to go to court, cases aren’t being thrown out for technicalities. When we put criminals in jail, we can make sure they stay there.”
Lt. Kilgo also says the building will be climate-controlled which will allow the sheriff’s office to better maintain evidence in cases of rape and murder, which needs to be maintained for months, if not years.
“Some stuff must be refrigerated,” he explained. “So if we investigate a sexual assault and a rape kit is done at a hospital, some of those items have to be brought back and be refrigerated.”
Lt. Kilgo says having a “state-of-the-art” building “that can fit the needs of what we set out to do to serve the people of Darlington County” will positively impact the sheriff’s office and the entire community.