Forest Acres crime updates just a click away

By DAVE WARD - Special to The State

Forest Acres Police Sgt. Lori Tumlin has found it increasingly easier to alert residents about crime in the city’s neighborhoods.

Tumlin, the police liaison to the Forest Acres Neighborhood Association, has worked with that group’s members to develop an e-mail notification system to protect residents and help catch criminals soon after police reports have been filed.

The two-year-old system, largely created in response to lagging attendance at neighborhood association meetings, has been earning the praise of residents and a statewide law enforcement association alike.

Charlene Sloan, a board member of the Forest Acres Neighborhood Association, said many residents who initially had come to meetings stopped attending as often, if at all.

So to reach more people and get out crime alerts more quickly than traditional mailings allowed, association members, under Tumlin’s advisement, decided to try e-mail.

Tumlin provides the information, and Sloan handles the e-mail responsibilities.

“Once I have all of the accurate information and I e-mail Charlene, it’s a matter of 10 minutes before she has the alerts out,” Tumlin said.

The system already has proven beneficial in fighting crime.

“About a year ago, we had a run of burglaries throughout the county and Forest Acres,” Tumlin said. “The investigators had a suspect picture, so I was able to e-mail that picture out —and in about three to four days he was apprehended.”

Earlier this year, the alert system was recognized by the S.C. State Association of Crime Prevention Officers as the Most Innovative Program of 2008.

While making area residents aware of incidences of crimes, the alerts also offer tips on crime prevention.

Tumlin said that if cars are being broken into, for example, he can use the e-mail system to remind residents to not leave articles in their cars for burglars to steal.

Fred Brabham, who has lived in Forest Acres 28 years, feels the alert system is a great way to learn about what goes on in his neighborhood.

“This is another way of communicating with neighbors,” said Brabham, who has been receiving the notices for about a year. “I feel much more informed.”

The alert system currently includes about 200 residents, most of whom are members of the neighborhood association. But over time, more people have asked to be added to the e-mail.

“You don’t even need to be a citizen of Forest Acres to be on the list because eyes and ears everywhere are always useful,” Tumlin said.