Fatal Traffic Collision

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – The Mount Pleasant Police Department responded to a motorcycle collision on South Morgans Point near the KOA Campground at approximately 9:41pm on May 28th, 2015. The motorcycle was heading north when it went off of the roadway and struck a tree. The driver of the motorcycle suffered fatal injuries. The incident is still under investigation by the Traffic Bureau.

Palmetto State Armory Donates Rifles

 

 

 

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Palmetto State Armory donates four AR-10 rifles to The Mount Pleasant Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics Unit.   These PSA AR-10s will serve as replacements for the department’s current Remington 700  .308 platforms that are used by their marksmen/observers. The AR-10s are precision long  range rifles that are also chambered to the same .308 caliber as the current rifles.   The police department would like to thank Palmetto State Armory for their donation! Their generosity saved the Town of Mount Pleasant from having to purchase replacement rifles for the aging current models.



Traffic Tip Tuesday

This week's Traffic Tip Tuesday shows you how to prevent injuries while backing your car. Thank you to the Town of Mount Pleasant's Communications Office for producing this video!

South Carolina Safety Belt Law

 

 

 

 

 

South Carolina’s safety belt law requires that every driver and every occupant of a motor vehicle, when it is being operated on the public streets and highways of this State, must wear a fastened safety belt that complies with all provisions of federal law for its use. The driver is charged with the responsibility of requiring every occupant 17 years of age or younger to wear a safety belt or be secured in a child restraint system as required by law. However, a driver is not responsible for an occupant 17 years of age of age or younger who has a driver’s license, special restricted license, or beginner’s permit and who is not wearing a safety belt. 

This law does not apply to:

• A driver or occupant who possesses a written verification from a physician that he is unable to wear a safety belt for physical or medical reasons;



• Medical or rescue personnel attending to injured or sick individuals in an emergency vehicle when operating in an emergency situation as well as the injured or sick individuals;



• School, church, or day care buses;



• Public transportation vehicles except taxis;



• Occupants of vehicles in parades;



• United States mail carriers;



• An occupant for which no seatbelt is available because all belts are being used by other occupants;



• A driver or occupants in a vehicle not originally equipped with safety belts.







Car Break-In Suspects Arrested

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – The Mount Pleasant Police Department arrested four suspects for breaking into motor vehicles and for financial transaction card fraud.   Investigators have arrested and charged Deon Rambert, Montez Phillips-Edgecombe, Lashanta Singleton and Jasmine Lafayette with Breaking and Entering into a Motor Vehicle that occurred April 28th at Eco Fitness on Johnnie Dodds Blvd. In conjunction   with this incident Deon Rambert has also been charged with Financial Transaction Card Theft and Financial Transaction Card Fraud. Mr. Phillips-Edgecombe, Ms. Singleton and Ms. Lafayette have additionally been charged with Financial Transaction Card Fraud which stems from this same incident. Their bond hearings are scheduled for 2:00pm on  May 14, 2015.   The investigation is still ongoing and additional charges are expected.

Buckle Up South Carolina

Local law enforcement joined the South Carolina Highway Patrol yesterday in kicking off the Buckle Up South Carolina event. Officers across the state want to remind everyone about the importance of using seatbelts and child safety seats.

South Carolina has a primary safety belt enforcement law. Under the primary law, a law enforcement officer has the authority to stop a driver if the officer has a clear and unobstructed view of a driver or occupant of a motor vehicle not wearing a safety belt or not secured in a child restraint system.

You can find more traffic safety information at www.http://buckleupsc.com/

 



Mount Pleasant Officer Honored After Saving a Life



On the evening of April 22nd at about 6 p.m. Officer Darren Raley was just getting home after his 10 hour shift. As he exited his car he heard someone screaming for help several houses down. Officer Raley without hesitation ran to where the calls for help were coming from and found that his neighbor’s father had collapsed in the trunk of his car, was not breathing or responsive. Officer Raley instructed other bystanders to help him remove the victim from the trunk of the car and he immediately began administering lifesaving attention to his neighbor’s father. We received a call from the victim's daughter on April 28th praising Officer Raley’s heroic efforts when no one else would stop and help. She said without Officers Raley’s immediate response her father would have died in the trunk of the car.

Please join us in recognizing Officer Raley for his quick action and life saving efforts!

Photo courtesy of Marquel Coaxum.

South Carolina Emergency Management Division Press Release

The SCEMD just put out this press release regarding Subtropical Storm Ana:

SCEMD Monitors Subtropical Storm Ana

 

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Friday, May 8, 2015, 11:15 a.m.) – The first named storm of 2015 has formed and will affect South Carolina this weekend.  The National Hurricane Center has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for portions of the South Carolina coast. Forecasters expect Subtropical Storm Ana to produce heavy rain, gusty wind and rough surf. The S.C. Emergency Management Division, county emergency managers and state agencies are monitoring the latest forecasts and planning as necessary. 

 

“We were fortunate to be able to discuss the storm with the Director of the National Hurricane Center in person during his Hurricane Hunter stop at Myrtle Beach on Wednesday,” SCEMD Director Kim Stenson said, “We’ve also met with the county emergency managers and the state agencies who are a part of our Hurricane Task Force. We’re prepared to respond to any requests for state assistance.”

 

SCEMD will increase its state of operational readiness to Condition 4 at noon today. OpCon4 is the second lowest of five operational conditions. Personnel representing key state response agencies were notified to review plans and procedures and are on call if needed.

 

SCEMD urges everyone to review emergency plans and use caution as conditions warrant:

·         Monitor local media and NOAA Weather Radio for the most current weather conditions.

·         Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards and local emergency officials.

·         Know the meaning of and obey warnings represented by colored beach flags.

·         Be aware of potential flash flooding. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move to higher ground. Do not wait to be told to move.

·         If time allows, prepare your home for a flood by moving essential items to an upper floor, bring in outdoor furniture, disconnect electrical appliances and be prepared to turn off the gas, electricity and water.

·         Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

·         Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away.

 

Resources:

·         Visit www.scemd.org for updates and preparation information.

·         All SCEMD social feeds are here: www.tinyurl.com/SocialSCEMD.

·         Real-time travel information from SCDOT: http://www.scdot.org/getting/travelAdvisories.aspx.

·         The National Hurricane Center: www.hurricanes.gov.

 

The 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins June 1 and lasts until November 30. 

 

Special Olympics Torch Run to Westview Primary

This morning Deputy Chief Gragg, Cpl. Postell, Cpl. Brandon and Pfc. Joly ran from the Goose Creek Police Department to Westview Primary School. They carried the Special Olympics Torch to the school and lit the cauldron in celebration of their athletes. You can see more pictures on our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/mountpleasantpd.

Request for Information

On April 28, 2015, a victim reported that her vehicle was broken into while it was parked in the parking lot of ECO Fitness at 627 Johnnie Dodd’s Blvd in the East Cooper Plaza.  The victim in this case had her purse stolen which contained several credit cards and other financial documents.  Shortly after the car break in, a group of unknown individuals began using the victim’s credit cards.  Detectives from the Mount Pleasant Police Department have secured video from one of the businesses and are currently attempting to identify the following three subjects.  The individual in the first photo actually was successful at making a charge with the victim’s credit card.  The other two individuals attempted to use the victim’s credit cards however they were unsuccessful when the sale was denied by store staff because the individuals claimed not to have any identification as the back of the credit card had not been signed.  If you are able to identify the pictured individuals please contact the Mount Pleasant Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau at 843-884-4176.

 

Golf Cart Laws

 

 

 

With summer fast approaching the use of golf carts on the roads of Mount Pleasant increases greatly. To help keep everyone safe, the Mount Pleasant Police Department would like to remind everyone of the South Carolina laws governing golf cart use:

 

 A person operating a golf cart must be at least sixteen years of age and have a valid driver’s license.

 

A golf cart may only be operated during daylight hours and must be within four miles of the address on the registration certificate.

 

The golf cart must have a registration certificate from the DMV and have liability insurance.

 

During daylight hours a permitted golf cart may operate along a secondary highway or street for which the posted speed limit is thirty-five miles an hour or less.

 

During daylight hours a permitted golf cart may be operated within four miles of a point of ingress and egress to a gated community and only on a secondary highway or street for which the posted speed limit is thirty-five miles an hour or less.

 

If you have any questions about the laws governing golf carts please contact Crime Prevention Officer Bryce Gregory at bgregory@tompsc.com.

 

You can also ask us questions via Twitter (@mountpleasantpd) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/mountpleasantpd).



New Anonymous Tip Program

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – The Mount Pleasant Police Department is introducing a new way for citizens to send private, anonymous tips about criminal activity within the community.   “Within our smartphone application users can select the “Anonymous Tip” icon. From this  icon, anyone can send us information regarding criminal activity,” says Inspector Chip Googe. “Citizens can also text a tip to 274637 by typing MPPDTip plus your tip.” There  is also an online form that can be accessed at www.crimereports.com. An officer will be able to respond and ask follow up questions but they will not have access to any information  that identifies the sender. The messages are received by a cloaking server where it is encrypted and assigned an alias ID before being sent to an officer.   The TipSoft program is currently being used by over 600 Crime Stoppers programs, schools  and universities globally.   For more information on how to use the SoftTip service please visit: http://mppdnews.blogspot.com.

2015 Law Enforcement Torch Run

Law Enforcement Officers from across the state were involved in the Torch Run for Special Olympics this past weekend. Officers from the Lowcountry began a 127 mile relay at 11:00 am on April 30th, 2015. The relay started on the sands of Sullivan’s Island’s Station 22 1/2 Street and ended on the steps of the Statehouse in Columbia. Appropriately deemed the Coast to the Capital this event coincided with relays from other parts of the state. It concluded at a press conference on the steps of the Capital on May 1st, 2015 announcing the beginning of the Special Olympics Summer Games. 

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us during this event! We were honored to have been a part of it!

You can view our full gallery of pictures at https://www.facebook.com/mountpleasantpd

 

Litter in Mount Pleasant

This letter is from my new friend Josie, who would like to see this shared on every Facebook wall in Mount Pleasant and elsewhere. Can you all help her out? Let's stop littering and protect our beautiful community.

Thank You,
Corporal Dorfner