Community plays a major role in Local Law Enforcement

At a recent community event, Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw told a large crowd that the community plays a major role in local law enforcement. “Law enforcement with all the advancements in technology and equipment but law enforcement is not rock science, law enforcement is most effective when the police officers and sheriff’s deputies know the community they are serving and the community knows who their law enforcement officers are. We are part of this community and the only difference is we wear the badge but we are encumbered upon all of us as citizens to make sure that we live in a safe environment. The greatest thing we can do is for law enforcement to get to know citizens so this only strengthens that relationship, it make law enforcement more effective. I don’t ever forget that the basic thing is to get to know the community you serve and then you can be very effective and have a successful career.” Since being elected sheriff, Sheriff Crenshaw has institute things like Coffee With A Cop and the Citizens Police Academy to strengthen ties with the local community. “That is just something we have got to do if we really want to be effective and our staff has bought into it, they believe it and they go with me. We went to a community meeting recently in Long Creek and six of us went and we had another event in Salem and more folks went to that one, so it is part of my philosophy. If I don’t leave anything else behind after I am all said and done in law enforcement I hope that future generations will remember that you have to have relationships with your community when serving in law enforcement.” To learn more about ways you can get involved with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, visit their website at www.oconeelaw.com.