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Statement by Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook and Sheriff Leon Lott

By July 8, 2016December 31st, 2016Press Releases

As we are all too aware, tragic events around the country have exposed fractures in the public’s trust of police. Again, in recent days, we have watched even more tragic events unfold, including officer involved shootings with fatalities in Louisiana and Minnesota. And, last night, a horrific ambush-style attack on police officers took place in Dallas, Texas, killing five (5) officers and wounding many more.

On behalf of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Columbia Police Department, Sheriff Leon Lott and I offer our condolences to the Sterling and Castile families. We also mourn the loss of our fellow law enforcement officers. Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones, the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. We hope for a speedy recovery for all those who were injured.

Law enforcement cannot be effective unless we have the trust and confidence of our community, and that trust is based on transparency, accountability and legitimacy. As many of you know, there is a national movement to improve community-police relationships and to implement reforms in the police profession.

Sheriff Lott and I have not been complacent in our efforts to build and maintain your trust. We have committed ourselves to re-evaluating our use of force policies and procedures, training our officers to de-escalate situations and building and sustaining collaborative problem-solving partnerships with our citizenry.

We are working diligently to bridge any gaps through communication and engagement with our citizens.
With all that we have done, our work is far from complete. Change does not happen by chance or accident. It takes courage, leadership, collaboration and innovation on the part of both law enforcement and citizens. Community-police relations must be continually fostered; the partnership is a two-way street. We demonstrate that every day through our longstanding police-community partnerships here in the Midlands. We ask that you continue to engage with us in efforts to implement reforms that will make both our communities and officers safer.

As South Carolinians, we have endured our own senseless tragedies. Although heartbroken and angered, our citizens have not let these tragedies cause even more harm by inciting further violence, but have always come together in support of one another. As Martin Luther King, Jr. put it, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

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