OC Sheriff committed to handling Domestic Violence Issues

Domestic violence is a growing problem in Oconee County.  It is an issue that stretches across economic and racial lines and according to Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw, domestic violence is a top law enforcement priority. To combat domestic violence, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office feels that education, as well as strict enforcement and partnerships with other groups and other law enforcement entities, such as Safe Harbor and the Solicitor’s Office, is a key to stopping this problem, explains Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Jimmy Watt. “We have committed to ask for maximum fines and sentences in all cases going forward,” says Crenshaw. “We also have a commitment to provide training for our officers so we can go forward with victimless prosecutions. If the victim refuses to testify, the Sheriff’s Office has protocols in place that will allow us to go forward with that prosecution.  It’s all about partnerships, building partnerships with the Solicitor’s Office, working with them closely, having a partnership with Safe Harbor to bring a domestic violence shelter to Oconee County and I hope going forward to change this trend from a negative to a positive.” To learn more about domestic violence, such as identifying the signs and where to go for help, visit www.safeharborsc.org.  Safe Harbor is a nonprofit organization that provides safe shelter, counseling and advocacy for victims of domestic violence as well as leadership for education and prevention efforts throughout its four-county area of Anderson, Greenville, Oconee and Pickens.