Report: Isle of Palms Police see nearly 20% increase in charges filed

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - The Isle of Palms Police Department says they’re taking some pretty big steps to keep their city safe.

From using ex-Navy pilots to fly drones to installing cameras across the city, it’s all about protecting peace of mind for locals and residents.

Newly released data shows police are filing more charges this year than they did last year at this time.

As of August, Isle of Palms Police have filed 1,562 charges compared to the 1,259 charges that were filed at this time last year, which is nearly a 20% increase.

The report shows an increase in charges of attempted murder, assault and gun violations.

• There have been five attempted murder charges this year, compared to zero charges filed this time last year.
• There have been 12 assault charges filed this year, compared to four charges filed this time last year.
• There have been 14 gun violation charges this year, compared to the 11 that were filed last year at this time.

Police say they’re working to get these numbers lower, and they’ve done a lot of work to get ahead of crime in the city. Chief of Police Kevin Cornett says it’s only the beginning.

“Some of the other things we’ve done is look at our drone program and making better use of that,” Cornett says. “Kind of using some of our volunteers here in the community so that we have more of a constant flow of our drone so that we have eyes on. We’ve added cameras on the beach. We’ve added cameras on the beach access paths and, on the roadways, so we’ve got more opportunities to see things that are taking place.“

He says those who visit the beach town have a role to play in keeping the city safe as well.

“I think our big thing is you know we know we’re going to have a lot of people we want people to be here,” Cornett says. “We want people to remember when you come out here, be safe... be responsible. If you see something, say something. You can’t go home three hours later and tell us something happened. It’s gone and over at that point. As soon as you see something wrong, tell us so we can address it.”

City council members say Tuesday night’s meeting served as a workshop and was used to keep the community informed.

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