Community Safety

Goal 8: Our communities will be increasingly safe.

The indicators emphasize the importance of personal and community responsibility. Nowhere is that more evident than with the issue of public safety. When citizens feel safe in their neighborhoods, they are more likely to be active and involved. Progress towards safe communities is tied closely to the goals of family stability and economic viability. Over the past ten years, community-oriented policing has helped to build partnerships between law enforcement agencies through the development of special units, neighborhood watch programs and youth services collaborations – all of which contribute to a reduction in the overall crime rate.

Results of indicator analyses demonstrate that there are a wide number of initiatives in place throughout the county to improve public safety through crime prevention, youth leadership development, leveraging resources, involvement of citizens and business owners, neighborhood improvement, and enhancement of technical and support services. In South Carolina, systems have been in place for some time to track and report crime and safety-related data in a reliable and valid manner. These systems report county level data with accuracy. Although, Spartanburg’s aggregate crime rate is above the state average for “index crimes”, safety and crime data range significantly by particular crime and other variables. Much of the information relative to state-level crime and safety can be extrapolated for Spartanburg County.

8.1 Crime
8.2 Probation & Parole
8.3 Corrections
8.4 Courts
8.5 Highway Safety
8.6 Fire Safety