CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County’s community violence sub-committee discussed a new plan that would break down their efforts to fight crime into six specific elements; and create six new subcommittee’s to address each area.
The idea was presented by Chief Deputy of Horry County Sheriff’s Office, Tom Fox, he says the problem demands a county wide solution and looked over the group’s prior research, data and discussions to come up with the six pronged approach.
The six areas would focus on prevention/intervention, enforcement, prosecution, community, social needs and resource identifications.
Prevention and intervention would be tasked with providing youth with meaningful activities to steer them away from violent crime.
Enforcement elements would target violent areas and identify gangs and criminal activity.
Community efforts would help young people access faith based groups and mentoring to provide guidance.
Social needs would focus on promoting social programs and after-school options.
Fox says resource identifications are to find local and federal grants to help pay for programs.
Fox wants prosecution to focus on working with the solicitor’s office to fast track violent crime cases and weapons charges.
“So they get convicted quickly, so we can send a message that if you do violent crime, you will be sent to the department of corrections quickly and if it warrants, take it to federal level and have federal prosecutions,” explained Fox.
Fox says each area should have its own subcommittee, with a lead person to take charge; but no decisions have been made yet on how the groups would be organized, “it’s currently in development stage, it’s just been discussed for the first time today.”
“You can’t have one group trying to do six things, so you break it down to the six principles that we’ve identified. They need to be developed to address it, involve everyone from every community not just Horry County,” Fox elaborated.
Fox says he’s spoken with people in Orlando, FL who took a trip to Oakland, CA to look at the Cease-Fire program there, to help come up with the six areas that need to be addressed.
He added that violent crime in one area of the county affects everyone and there needs to be a joint effort from all the municipalities in Horry County along with Federal partners to make a difference.
Fox says the next step for the proposal will be to discuss the plan with chairman of the public safety committee, Al Allen.