Halloween Enforcement Efforts

 

HALLOWEEN ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN                                                                         
PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2014

CONTACT: Sgt. Kim Herring, kherring@tompsc.com, 843-884-4176

 

HALLOWEEN PARTIERS BEWARE:

MOUNT PLEASANT POLICE DEPARTMENT

CRACKING DOWN ON DRUNK DRIVERS

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

 

 

 

 

Mount Pleasant, SC— This Halloween, Mount Pleasant Police will be treating drunk drivers throughout the area with an aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement effort, and The Mount Pleasant Police Department has given a fair warning to all partygoers: keep the party off the road.

 

“The scariest part of Halloween is not the spooky costumes and scary pranks, it’s the impaired drivers. All too often, partygoers don’t plan ahead and choose to drive impaired, but a costume can’t disguise drunk driving,” said Sgt. Kim Herring.

 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), from 2008-2012, 52 percent of all national fatalities occurring on Halloween night involved a drunk driver.

The last time Halloween fell on a Friday, 48 percent of the nation’s fatalities during the Halloween weekend occurred in a crash involving a driver or a motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Thirty-eight percent of fatalities on Halloween night occurred in a crash involving a driver or a motorcycle operator with a BAC of .08 or higher.

“If you celebrate with alcohol, you don’t belong behind the wheel,” Sgt. Herring said. “A sober and safe ride after the party is the best treat you can give yourself and everyone else on the road this Halloween.”

 

To keep safe this Halloween, The Mount Pleasant Police Department recommends these tips:

·         Before the Halloween festivities begin, plan a way to safely get home at the end of the night.

·         Always designate a sober driver.

·         If you are impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.

·         Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving.  Designate a sober friend to walk you home.

·         If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.

·         If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.

For more information, please visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov

The Mount Pleasant Police Department will be conducting stepped up enforcement and traffic safety checkpoints in the areas of Hwy 17, Coleman Blvd., and Long Point Rd. on the night of October 31, 2014.

Halloween Safety Tips

With Halloween coming up Friday, we wanted to give you a few tips to help keep you and 

your children safe while trick or treating:

Walk Safely

*Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right and left again 

  when crossing and keep looking as you cross.

*Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.

*Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.

*Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the 

left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.

*Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street 

or cross between parked cars.

*Trick or Treat With an Adult

*Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult supervision. If kids are 

mature enough to be out without supervision, they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit 

and trick-or-treat in groups.

Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe

*Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light 

colors.

*Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a 

child’s vision.

*Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.

*When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.

Drive Extra Safely on Halloween

*Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods.
*Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.

*Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.

*Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.

*Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your 

surroundings.

*Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the

 day to spot children from greater distances.

*Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids 

during those hours.

Thank you to SafeKids for these tips! www.safekids.org

Subject Arrested on 5 Counts of Burglary 2nd

Todd Royce was charged October 18, 2014 with five counts of Burglary in the 2^nd Degree stemming from incidents that occurred in Rivertowne Subdivision last month. Warrants were drawn and served on Mr. Royce who was already incarcerated at the Al Cannon, Jr. Detention Center.

 

3 Subjects Arrested for Attempted Murder

An Altercation outside of Red's on Shem Creek led to 3 subjects being arrested for Attempted Murder:

Suspect Arrested for Vehicle Break-In and Assault on an Officer

Nicholas Marsalko was arrested for Breaking Into a Motor Vehicle and Assault on a Police Officer after officers responded to a call of a suspicious person near Spoonbill Lane on October 19, 2014 at 3:27am. As officers approached, Marsalko took off running and fell at one point during the foot chase causing injuries to his face. When officers caught up to Marsalko he attempted to assault one of them and was eventually taken into custody with the aid of the Taser. He was lodged at the Al Cannon, Jr. Detention Center.

Hit and Run Reported on Highway 41 near Rivertowne

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (October 15, 2014) The Mount Pleasant Police Department responded to a hit and run on October 14, 2014 where a dark in color sports utility vehicle struck a 17 year old teenager who was riding his skateboard. The vehicle continued down Highway 41 towards Highway 17 without stopping at the scene of the collision.


The suspect vehicle was coming from the Berkeley County area on Highway 41 when the vehicle collided with the victim who was crossing the roadway from Rivertowne towards Dunes West. The victim was transported to the hospital due to his injuries. This occurred around 8:24pm.

If anyone has any information about this incident, you are asked to call 843-743-7200 or email Cpl. Eric Postell at EPostell@tompsc.com. You can also call Crimestoppers at 843-554-1111.

Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested

Mount Pleasant Police Participate in the International Walk to School Day

This morning officers from the Mount Pleasant Police Department participated in the International Walk to School Day. Officers met students from Moultrie Middle School at Starbucks on Coleman Blvd. and walked with them to up to Simmons Street. This global event involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day. It began in 1997 as a one-day event. Over time, this event has become part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school.

Mount Pleasant Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.)   South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Daniel Joseph Koebler (DOB: 9/30/1986) of Mount Pleasant, S.C. on four (4) counts involving the sexual exploitation of minors.  The Mount Pleasant Police Department, a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, made the arrest. 

The Mount Pleasant Police Department received a referral from investigators at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office (another member of the ICAC Task Force) that images depicting children engaged in sexual activity had been disseminated from an account traced to Koebler’s residence.  Koebler admitted to downloading child pornography, and was arrested. 

He was charged with four (4) counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor second degree (§16-15-405), a felony offense punishable by up to ten (10) years imprisonment on each count.  He was also charged with Manufacturing Marijuana.  Electronic equipment was seized for further investigation.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

Employees Received Longevity Pins

Yesterday Chief Ritchie presented longevity pins to two of our employees. Field Training Officer Bob Wilson was presented his 10 year pin while Victim Advocate Donna German received her 5 year. Thank you to both for your hard work and dedication to the citizens of the Town of Mount Pleasant!

Armed Robbery at Waffle House

On Sunday October 5th, 2014 at around 2:30pm, the subject pictured above robbed the Waffle House on Longpoint Rd. of an undisclosed amount of money. He was observed by witnesses hanging around the business just before the robbery occurred and then left on foot towards I-526. The suspect was described as being around 5'06" tall and weighing approximately 160lbs. If you have any information about this robbery you are asked to call the Mount Pleasant Police Department at 843-884-4176 or Crimestoppers at 843-554-1111.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department Partners with Nextdoor

Mount Pleasant, SC – October 3, 2014 – The Mount Pleasant Police Department announced today  a partnership with Nextdoor (www.nextdoor.com), the free and private social network for  neighborhoods, to build stronger, safer communities with the help of residents. This integration with Nextdoor will enable the Mount Pleasant Police Department to communicate  online with Mount Pleasant neighborhoods. Residents and Mount Pleasant Police will be able to  work together to increase safety and strengthen virtual neighborhood watch. “This partnership with Nextdoor gives neighbors an easy way to not only get to know each other,  but develop a stronger relationship with our police department “said Inspector Chip Googe. “We  believe that building trust and constant communication channels will lead to stronger and safer neighborhoods.” Nextdoor has proven to be an essential and well-adopted tool, both locally in Mount Pleasant as  well as nationally, with one-in-four neighborhoods using Nextdoor across the country. With Nextdoor, Mount Pleasant residents can create private neighborhood websites to share  information, including neighborhood public safety issues, community events and activities, local  services, and even lost pets. The Mount Pleasant Police Department will be able to share helpful information with Nextdoor  members, such as important crime alerts, emergency notifications, safety precautions and tips,  details for events and crime watch meetings, and updates on activity affecting the local area to  Nextdoor websites within Mount Pleasant. However, the Mount Pleasant Police Department will  not be able to access residents’ websites, contact information, or content. Nextdoor is free for residents and the Mount Pleasant Police. Each Mount Pleasant neighborhood  has its own private Nextdoor neighborhood website, accessible only to residents of that  neighborhood. Neighborhoods establish and self-manage their own Nextdoor website. All members  must verify that they live within the neighborhood before joining Nextdoor. Information shared on Nextdoor is password-protected and cannot be accessed by Google or other search engines. “Having the ability to easily communicate with residents is extremely vital to not only maintaining,  but also increasing safety and reducing crime within our Mount Pleasant communities,”  said Inspector Googe. “With Nextdoor, we can help empower neighbors to keep their communities  safe and connected and give them the ability to collaborate on virtual neighborhood watch efforts.” Those interested in joining their neighborhood’s Nextdoor website can visit www.nextdoor.com  and enter their address. If residents have questions about their Nextdoor website, please visit help.nextdoor.com.

New Business Connection

The Mount Pleasant Police Department is taking innovative policing to the next level by using  a mobile application that will keep businesses informed of valuable information in real time. Through the use of VizSafe, Mount Pleasant police will be able to send business that are signed  up for the service information about shoplifting and robbery suspects, crime trends, crime prevention effort, alerts and other information that may impact their businesses in Mount  Pleasant. “The VizSafe application has allowed us to connect with our businesses so that we can now  send vital information quickly to store managers, loss prevention officers and owners,” says Inspector Chip Googe. “We can send a push notification directly to these businesses that will show up on a smartphone or on a desktop computer.” Inspector Googe encourages businesses in the Town of Mount Pleasant to apply for this  FREE service. “More participation will help ensure the program’s success. Any business in Mount Pleasant  can apply to be a part of this network,” Googe says. “We foresee this program growing into a Lowcountry network that helps curtail crime in the tri-county area and not just Mount Pleasant.” If you wish to be included in this network, please contact Inspector Chip Googe at cgooge@tompsc.com.

The Impact of Substance Abuse on Family Violence Seminar

The Mount Pleasant Police Department will be hosting a seminar entitled The Impact of  Substance Abuse on Family Violence on October 14, 2014. This free seminar will be  held at Alhambra Hall from 9:00am until 4:30pm and will cover the following topics: ·        Behavior: The Mirror of Exposure  to the Cycles of Addiction and Violence ·        Legal and Illegal Drugs ·        Real Men Delivering the Difference ·        Prescription Medications and Medical Management Opening remarks will be given by Mayor Linda Page and Chief Carl Ritchie. You can  register for this event by emailing Victim Advocate Ruth Broughton at  RBroughton@tompsc.com. The last day to register is October 7th, 2014. Lunch will  be provided for those attending.

Domestic Violence Public Service Announcement

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Mount Pleasant Police  Department is standing with domestic violence survivors to shed light on this epidemic. With  the creation of our Victim Advocate unit in 1996, we have been reaching out to victims even when physical violence has not occurred. Once a report has been taken where domestic  violence is alleged, our advocates reach out to victims to offer support and guidance. Our  advocates walk victims through the process of going to bond court, obtaining orders of protection, securing alternative places to stay, court orientation and so much more.  In an effort to reach those victims that may not know where to turn, the Mount Pleasant Police Department decided to produce a public service announcement that may offer guidance to those in a difficult situations. “We recognize that there is a need to reach those victims who have yet to  call our police department for help,” says Inspector Chip Googe. “There are victims out there  right  now who are scared and do not know how to get help. This PSA was produced to let those  victims know that they are not alone.”  Our PSA has been approved to play at the Palmetto Grande and will start October 3rd with the  premiere of the movie Gone Girl. It will also appear throughout the police department’s social  media sites to include Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.  For more information please contact Inspector Chip Googe at cgooge@tompsc.com.