BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.—Nearly two months after taking office, Sheriff Duane Lewis appears to have hit the ground running following a grueling election. On June 12th, Lewis became the county’s newest sheriff in twenty years.
“It was quite stressful, but we came together. The folks of Berkeley County stood behind me and voted for me. We’re just happy to get that part behind us,” Lewis told WQSC’s Jay Harper on Wednesday morning.
During Lewis’ campaign, he vowed to tackle the county’s growing drug problem if elected. Exactly one week after taking office, the newly elected sheriff began doing just that by organizing a special operation in the Goose Creek area and going after people with outstanding warrants.
That June 19th operation included seven drug arrests and the seizure of five pounds of marijuana. In all, 23 people were arrested, 109 citations were issued and 42 warning citations were issued. Eight video poker machines were also seized.
“I promised the folks of Berkeley County that we were going to do some good things and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Lewis told Harper on the radio. “We have made some strides in the drug enforcement area. We’re continuing to work all over the county. We have some pockets of areas that obviously have some issues.”
According to Lewis, the community has played a big role in helping the sheriff’s office fight crime since he’s taken office.
“We’re receiving a lot of good information from them about what’s going on in their community, and we’re just trying to tackle that problem,” Lewis stated. “I listen to the folks’ concerns in the neighborhoods and communities.”
On Thursday and Friday, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office conducted another special operation—this time in Sangaree and surrounding area.
“The areas that we’ve been targeting have had some problems. We decided to take a look at the warrant situation in those areas, see how many outstanding warrants that we had,” Lewis explained.
During this latest operation, 82 arrests were made with more than 100 different officers from various agencies including Summerville Police, SLED, U.S. Marshals, Hanahan Police and Goose Creek Police assisting.
“It wasn’t really hard to pull all of those agencies together. They all have come forward to help,” stated Lewis. “All of these agencies have coming forward, pledging to help us. I can’t speak enough for their professionalism and willingness to help us get out here and tackle some of these issues.”
While tackling crime is one of the Lewis’ top priorities, so is getting the sheriff’s office back on the level it needs to be he says.
“I was really surprised by the manpower shortage there when I arrived. There were a number of positions already open. We’re trying to deal with that,” Lewis stated. “Another issue are our vehicles. Some of the vehicles that the deputies are patrolling in are not in very good shape and have a lot of miles. We are working on those issues right now. We do have a number of positions open at the detention center. We’re hoping to get those positions filled rather rapidly, so we can open the other floor of the jail. Hiring people takes time.”
Lewis says he along with Berkeley County Supervisor Bill Peagler and council are working closely to rectify those issues in an effort to better serve the citizens of Berkeley County.
“I’m focused on the future and moving us forward, and getting the deputies on the road,” stated Lewis. “We have a great team in place. There are a lot of good people there when I arrived. They have stepped forward and pledged to turn things around.”
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