The Sumter Police Department has launched a comprehensive community outreach program aimed at fostering positive community interaction and promoting crime prevention. The program includes several initiatives:
Neighborhood Watch:Â Encourages neighbors to know each other and be the first line of defense against crime. Participants receive training on effective reporting and proactive safety measures.
Back to School Bash:Â An annual event that energizes students for the new school year, allowing interaction between officers, students, and parents.
National Night Out:Â Celebrated each October to highlight police-community partnerships through neighborhood events like socials and cookouts with officer participation.
Project Checkmate:Â Provides personal interaction and safety checks for senior adults through regular home visits by assigned officers.
Cram-A-Cruiser:Â A toy drive during the holiday season to ensure children in Sumter receive Christmas gifts.
School Engagement:Â Mentoring, reading programs, and school activities to build positive relationships between police officers and youth.
Community Events:Â Trunk or Treat for safe Halloween celebrations, Police Week events including memorials and blood drives, and food drives like Pursuit to End Hunger prior to Thanksgiving.
Youth Employment:Â A summer program offering jobs and skills development for teenagers from low and moderate-income households.
These programs emphasize building trust, increasing safety, and providing support services throughout the Sumter community. The department also collaborates with local organizations and uses community feedback to tailor its efforts.
SOURCES
(https://www.sumterpd.com/about/community-involvement/)
(https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2025-02/SC_FY25_AGA-tag.pdf)
(https://www.sumterpd.com/about/)
(https://www.sumtersc.gov/community-development)
(https://www.sumtersc.gov/codes-enforcement/litter-prevention/cleaning-our-community)
