BPD CHIEF McALLISTER
Posted by Cindy Brown
Bluffton Chief of Police, Colonel David F. McAllister presents an overview of the department and fields questions during the club's meeting on July 21.
- Photo by Michele Cleland -
- Photo by Michele Cleland -
Since taking on the role of Bluffton Police Chief, Dave McAllister has been very busy developing the department via a growing staff and working to become accredited by the CALEA - Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. As the community has grown, the department also saw a need for additional space. The new Law Enforcement Center, currently under construction on Buckwalter Parkway near
Publix, will include features such as a crime lab and holding facility.
Every crime has three components. A defendant, a victim and a venue. Educating the community to be safe is key and the department currently has two officers assigned to work with local Property Owner Associations. A few examples of how individuals can deter home break-ins is to install outdoor lighting with motion detectors and keep bushes and shrubs trimmed below windows so that intruders do not have a place to hide.
The department also educates builders and landscape architects on how to design with safety in mind.
Old Town Bluffton is patrolled by Sergeant Tony Charron and soon, every neighborhood will be paired with a specific officer so that property owners will become familiar with the officer and in turn, the officer will become familiar with the community.
Chief McAllister encourages members of the community to call 911 if anything looks suspicious. The department would rather investigate something that turns out to be legitimate than to arrive long after a crime has been committed.
Crime is up in Beaufort County however, the Bluffton Police Department has been a driving force in keeping "organized crime" away from their jurisdiction. The gang / organized crime that does exist here, is being committed by individuals who emulate the behavior exhibited by groups such as Mara Salvatrucha - commonly abbreviated as MS, Mara, and MS-13 - which is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the country.
Click here for more information on the Bluffton Police Department.
Every crime has three components. A defendant, a victim and a venue. Educating the community to be safe is key and the department currently has two officers assigned to work with local Property Owner Associations. A few examples of how individuals can deter home break-ins is to install outdoor lighting with motion detectors and keep bushes and shrubs trimmed below windows so that intruders do not have a place to hide.
The department also educates builders and landscape architects on how to design with safety in mind.
Old Town Bluffton is patrolled by Sergeant Tony Charron and soon, every neighborhood will be paired with a specific officer so that property owners will become familiar with the officer and in turn, the officer will become familiar with the community.
Chief McAllister encourages members of the community to call 911 if anything looks suspicious. The department would rather investigate something that turns out to be legitimate than to arrive long after a crime has been committed.
Crime is up in Beaufort County however, the Bluffton Police Department has been a driving force in keeping "organized crime" away from their jurisdiction. The gang / organized crime that does exist here, is being committed by individuals who emulate the behavior exhibited by groups such as Mara Salvatrucha - commonly abbreviated as MS, Mara, and MS-13 - which is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the country.
Click here for more information on the Bluffton Police Department.