Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office plan divides county into districts

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The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office has created a plan to split the entire county into two districts, the North District and South District.

The sheriff’s office said in a news release the new district plan will allow for Berkeley County deputies to better serve the 1,231 square mile county with faster response times. The rezoning comes as the sheriff’s office reports an increase in call volume in certain areas as a result of population growth over the last decade.  

Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said BCSO has been working on this plan for three years and that it’s a much-needed upgrade from the previous zoning, which had deputies split into six zones.

“We studied the amount of calls to service and placed deputies strategically in those locations,” Lewis said. “Simply put, this new system changes the way we police. We are decreasing response times and increasing services.”

Beneath the North and South sections will be sub-sectors. All deputies will have new schedules and will be stationed in at any one of the five substations: Cross, Alvin, Cainhoy/Huger, Cane Bay and Red Bank Road in Goose Creek, which will open soon.

Lewis has been working with Berkeley County Council to tackle this plan and was able to do so by allocating eight new deputies a year for three years. New deputies were placed strategically around the lake, where call volumes have increased.

“Thanks to the support from county council and Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb, we were able to implement this new plan and allow our team to continue to serve the public efficiently and effectively,” Lewis said.