Published: Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 / Updated: Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 12:46 PM
FMPD reviews public information policies
The Fort Mill Police Department has reviewed its public information policies after a January incident left the public without access to police files.
On Jan. 22, a reporter who contributes as an independent contractor to the Fort Mill Times requested to view police incident reports for the month of January. Such documents give specific details of crimes and other police activity.
However, police present at the time told the reporter that only documents dated Jan. 15 and 16 – just six documents – were available. No other reports from the month were released. When questioned, police personnel on duty said other reports had not been reviewed by supervisors and could not be given to the public.
Freedom of information laws requires police departments to make reports available to the public.
Fort Mill Police Capt. Bryan Zachary, the department’s public information officer, apologized for the misunderstanding. He said department policy is to make the reports of police activity available as soon as they’re completed, often within hours of an incident taking place.
“They’re public documents,” he said. “They should be available as soon as they’re completed. It’s a matter of public information.”
Zachary said he would investigate the delay, remind staff of the policy and make sure the reports were accessible to the public at all times. The documents for the entire month were available for review this past Sunday when a reporter made a routine check.
S.C. Press Association Executive Director Bill Rogers, an advocate for access to public information, says police departments in South Carolina are required by law to make incident reports available to the public as soon as they’re prepared by officers.
“It’s a matter of public safety,” he said. “If there has been a string of break-ins, for example, the public needs to know and have timely access.”
Rogers called Fort Mill’s delay in releasing the reports “ridiculous.”
Most York County public safety agencies uphold the public information statutes. The York County Sheriff’s Office maintains a three-ring binder of reports that is updated daily. A similar policy is used by the Tega Cay Police Department.
In Fort Mill, police keep reports for public viewing in a manila folder. Zachary says the department’s policy calls for the folder to be updated at shift changes and available to the public upon request.
The reports viewed Sunday contained the following reports:
Man charged with DUI at middle school
A Fort Mill dad is suspected of drunk-driving while picking up his son from school, according to a Fort Mill Police report.
The Jan. 17 incident happened as class was dismissed at Springfield Middle School. Witnesses told police they saw a man driving a white Ford truck erratically in the parking lot. The truck pulled out of the lot and then stopped in the middle of the road, the report states. A police officer questioned the driver, who smelled like alcohol and said he didn’t know where he was, the report states. The driver later said he had come to the school to pick up his son.
The driver denied drinking any alcohol. But after he failed a sobriety test, the man told police he drank a pint of Jim Beam bourbon, the report states. His blood-alcohol level registered at 0.13 percent, according to the report, well above the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
He was arrested at the scene.
Restaurant worker accused
of taking cash from register
A Fort Mill teen confessed to stealing $72 from the cash register of the Subway restaurant where he worked, according to a Fort Mill Police report.
The restaurant owner filed a complaint last week, accusing the 18-year-old clerk of taking money. He showed police video surveillance of an employee putting cash from the register into his pocket while closing the store. Police located the suspect at Fort Mill High School. During an interview with police, the suspect admitted to taking $72 and apologized, the report states.
The suspect, 18-year-old Brandon Dyson of Fort Mill, faces charges of larceny.
Report: Dog attacks mail carrier
A U.S. Postal Service worker had to be treated for an apparent dog bite after she was attacked while delivering mail, according to a Fort Mill Police report.
The report states the 22-year-old mail carrier was delivering mail at 4 p.m. Jan. 19 on Sharonview Street when a mixed breed dog broke free from its tether. The dog jumped on the woman, knocking her to the ground and causing minor injuries, the report states. The dog’s owner corralled the dog and helped the mail carrier to her feet.
The carrier said she had been bitten and sought medical treatment, the report states. The case has been turned over to animal control officials to determine the fate of the dog and its owner.
Compiled by Adam O’Daniel
Thief siphons fuel
About 100 gallon of diesel fuel were stolen from a Fort Mill paving company last week.
An employee with SMI Paving near Carolina Place said when two of his dump trucks were locked up on Tuesday, their gas tanks were full, according to a York County Sheriff's Office report. The next day, Wednesday, one of the drivers ran out of fuel on the same road that the business is on.
An investigation showed damage to all of the locking gas caps on the trucks, the report states. It appears the diesel fuel was siphoned out.
The employee estimated about $200 in damage to the trucks, the report states. About 100 gallons of diesel fuel was reported stolen.
The Herald