Lexington sheriff moving more deputies into neighborhoods

Lexington County deputies are no longer taking to the air to hunt fugitives, a change aimed at improving crime prevention on the ground.

Sheriff Jay Koon is grounding the helicopter as one of a series of steps to add deputies who will keep an eye on neighborhoods more often as part of an effort to reduce burglaries and thefts across the 758-square-mile county.

It’s one of the changes in county law enforcement that Koon is making since taking charge a year ago, planning to rely on State Law Enforcement Division aircraft as necessary.

Other changes coming include turning over transport of inmates for health care outside the Midlands to security officers at Lexington Medical Center and getting schools to chip in more for classroom security.

His call to explore private security at the County Judicial Center to free up more deputies for patrol is on hold, waiting until a new clerk of court – the official overseeing those courtrooms – is elected this fall.

The changes free up an estimated $700,000, enough to add five deputies or a dozen guards at an increasingly overcrowded jail.

Those steps are necessary because money for new staff is scarce amid steady population growth, Koon said.

“Helping people has been the marching orders from Day One,” he said. “Times are tight – we’re going everything we can under our umbrella to get more service out there.”

Other county leaders are happy with his focus on more patrolling. “It’s good to have more boots on the streets,” County Councilman Kent Collins of Lexington said.

More ambitious goals to keep pace with growth are ahead

His predecessor, Lewis McCarty, recommended the addition of 80 deputies and 60 jail guards over the next decade.

STEPPING UP

Koon is one leader of a younger generation in county law enforcement, taking over as the first new elected sheriff in 43 years.

It’s unusual for him to go to the scene of major crimes, letting deputies handle the situation and investigate without trying to impress him.

But he makes sure deputies and local police who request help get everything needed.

“I’m a logistics guy,” Koon said. “That’s my wheelhouse.”

He’s created a six-member unit to deal with requests that don’t qualify as things law enforcement usually handles, such working with nonprofit groups to help needy families.

Becoming sheriff is a role on a larger stage for Koon after a 21-year career with Lexington police, where he rose to assistant chief, and then as a top aide to temporary appointee McCarty.

Koon, 43, was second-in-command of a staff of 50 in his hometown. Today, he oversees a staff of 500, two-thirds of whom are deputies and jail officers.

He mixes appreciation for traditional police work, with reliance on digital analysis of crime trends and use of social media to increase community support and spread the word on crime.

Koon dabbles with social media personally. “I do a lot of looking, little posting,” he said.

He rarely appears on televised reports about crimes, but regularly meets with community groups.

His appearance at a neighborhood crime watch meeting in Pine Ridge in February was a welcome surprise to homeowner Elizabeth Castle.

“He was approachable, making himself available,” she said. “It showed he cared, and it made Lexington County much smaller for us.”

One challenge Koon didn’t expect was widespread flooding created by record rain Oct. 4. The unexpected demands were “an eye-opener for everybody,” he said. “Everybody stepped up, and we learned a lot.”

In some respects, Koon still is settling into the job.

“It’s getting into the nuts and bolts everyday,” he said. “I’m still wrapping my arms around this. You learn something new every day.”

Other county leaders say he’s starting to reshape local law enforcement.

“Morale is greatly improved, they’re making good judgment calls on the road and they seem more open,” said Collins, a lawyer who sometimes represents offenders arrested by deputies.

EMPHASIS ON COOPERATION

Koon stresses teamwork.

He holds regular sessions for leaders of the 14 municipal and local agency police forces in the county to exchange ideas for cooperation and intelligence on crimes, attending himself instead of sending aides.

“I owe it to support those agencies so everyone is successful,” he said.

Veteran police chiefs such as Wallace Oswald of Batesburg-Leesville, at the county’s western edge, applaud the increased cooperation. “It’s making sure that we are involved in everything he does,” Oswald said.

Koon “really has made sure to keep us informed and work together,” said West Columbia Police Chief Dennis Tyndall, one of three challengers Koon beat to become sheriff last year in a special election for a shortened term that ends this year.

Unlike his predecessors, Koon often attends County Council sessions to answer questions and keep track of public safety matters considered.

His spirit of cooperation extends to deputies as well.

Koon brainstorms with top aides and listens to the ranks on changes that could improve operations.

He is known among deputies as “a plodder,” unlikely to make a quick decision on major proposals before a thorough review.

Another unexpected challenge has been an increasingly crowded jail.

A surge in prisoners has pushed the average daily population to nearly 800 inmates, 200 more than the jail is built to hold.

Koon intends to work with the new 11th Circuit solicitor elected this fall to “remedy the problem,” largely by reducing a backlog of legal proceedings that he says cause much of the overflow.

Meanwhile, he shrugs off the return of former long-time sheriff James Metts.

Metts, once a local political powerhouse, is on home confinement following nearly a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to interfering with the handling of two illegal immigrants detailed at the jail.

That left a black eye that many local leaders say was cleaned up by McCarty, a mentor for Koon.

Metts, who became sheriff when Koon was a few months old, is required to stay out of the limelight. But that restriction will end soon.

“He served his sentence and does whatever he chooses to do now,” Koon said.

Meanwhile, no one is challenging Koon’s re-election bid this year.

It’s more important for his deputies than himself that politicking affecting law enforcement will be minimal in coming months, he said.

“It assures we’re going to have stability,” Koon said.

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 8:21 PM with the headline "Lexington sheriff moving more deputies into neighborhoods."