CHARLOTTE — Chester County officials are reporting a drastic drop in crime in the area.
A recent state report from 2024 shows violent crime is down 28% since 2022, and overall crime went down nearly 20% in one year.
Building trust has been the foundation when it comes to lowering crime numbers, Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey told Channel 9’s Tina Terry.
Dorsey says his officers have made a concerted effort to engage with the community before they call for help — a strategy he calls “proactive policing.”
“What that does is people are more likely to call us when something is happening or they suspect something is happening,” Dorsey said.
He says they’ve also focused on identifying drug traffickers linked to serious crimes and gangs, and they’ve leaned into relationships with state and federal police, not shying away when it comes to asking for help.
For example, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the FBI are offering a $15,000 reward to arrest Carlton Dixon, the suspect in a 2024 deadly shooting on Flint Street.
“It’s about taking advantage of all those resources out there,” Dorsey added.
Those resources include federal grants. The office was recently awarded a $750,000 hiring grant from the Department of Justice to put more officers on the street. They plan to hire more officers over the next three years to drive crime down even further.
VIDEO: CMPD reveals crime findings, addresses safety concerns with public safety report
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