BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.—On June 10th, Berkeley County voters will head to the polls and vote for who they want as sheriff. Since 1995, Wayne Dewitt has served in that role. However, Lt. Brian Adams with the North Charleston Police Department is challenging him. While he is employed in Charleston County, Adams lives in Goose Creek and grew up in Berkeley County.
Recently, Dewitt and Adams took part in a roundtable discussion hosted by the Goose Creek 912. The event took place at Berkeley Electric Coop on Spring Hall Drive.
During the discussion, members of the audience asked the two men running for sheriff a series of questions.
Below are some of their responses to certain issues brought up during the event.
On The 2nd Amendment—
Sheriff Wayne Dewitt:
“I am a proponent of the second amendment. I don’t second guess what our forefathers put in the constitution, and I believe we should stand by that, and we should not ever waiver from that.”
Lt. Brian Adams:
“I’m a supporter of the second amendment as well. It’s easy for us to say that we’re supporters of the second amendment. The sheriff is the last constitutional stand against those changes in the laws that are going to restrict our constitutional right. When those federal governments come in, the sheriff has got to stand where if he supports it then ‘that’s it, you’re not coming in here to do that.’”
On handling calls involving those with mental/medical disabilities —
Lt. Brian Adams:
“We need to develop a list, whether it’s for senior citizens, young people, people that are on some sort of medical disability, mental disability—there should be a list,” he stressed. “For instance, North Charleston, we have lists like that. We have computers in the cars to where it pops up that, “ok, at this location there is this problem,” and if you don’t have a computer dispatchers should have that information and they should be able to relay that info to the officers.”
Sheriff Wayne Dewitt:
“My suggestion would be putting together a database that people call in, hear what type of individual they have at home, build a database and go from there. “
- On 9-1-1
“911 as it stands right now does not come up under the sheriff’s office. It comes basically under the supervisors office I talked to several council members about bringing 911 communications in the future under the sheriff’s office. That way we have a better correspondence with them.”
Manning of the new jail—
Sheriff Wayne Dewitt:
“It’s been a battle we’ve had on our hands for several years. I’ve had one on one conversations with the supervisor about that. We’ve received letters from Blake Taylor with the SC Department of Corrections who comes by and inspects our facility. We’ve been steadily written up for being understaffed over there, so each and every year in my proposed budget, I ask for proper staffing. It is a risk factor for the detention officers that we have over there now with the population of the inmates that we have. With the current council we have in place I feel very comfortable in saying that we will probably get there in a matter of time.”
Lt. Brian Adams:
“The jail does need to be staffed. I would say over and over again that ‘you’re either going to start giving me staff or I’m going to start going to the media. I’m going to start going to the council meetings and ask every time. I think it’s important for the sheriff to state his case every time if he has to.”
On staffing—
Lt. Brian Adams:
“I want to get more officers on the street. I think the sheriff’s office should be a full service sheriff’s office. They should work accidents. Berkeley County is a top heavy organization. I think a lot of those (positions) can come back to the roads. You’ve got a lot of supervisors in place. I can take those and put some of those back on the roads. I can eliminate some of the admin positions that we do not need.”
Sheriff Wayne Dewitt:
“We’re not top heavy. I think where he’s mistaken is that there is a lot of difference between the police department and the sheriff’s office. We handle civil process, courtroom security. I would rather have them on the street but by those orders and by those statutes we can’t.”
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