Police Chief Jerry Thompson
Hartsville Police Department
After all the time I’ve spent in Hartsville, I know this is a great community. I knew that long before I was named Chief of Police about a month ago. Even so, I’m now learning it all over again. Since coming back to the Hartsville Police Department from the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, I’ve been tremendously thankful for the kindness which many of you have shown to my family during what has, at times, been a difficult period. I look forward to providing good hard work for you in return.
The men and women of the Hartsville Police Department have a simple goal in everything they do: making our residents and their property safer. Part of our job is to identify problem areas that interfere with that security, and make sure these areas get extra attention from us. Another part of our job is to reach out to our residents and make sure we are no strangers to them. If you have seen the efforts of the Hartsville Police Youth Academy or Project PERK at Hartsville High School, which recognizes the value of good decision making among our young people, then you know how committed we are to our residents.
We focus on reaching out to you because we know that for us to do our jobs well, we need your assistance. I’m proud of the excellent officers and staff that the Police Department has, but we can’t see everything that the people of Hartsville see every day. We need citizen input on any suspicious activity you might observe, or anything that you just think doesn’t seem right. Talk to our officers when you bump into them, give us a call, or come by to see us. Our number is 843-383-3011 and our office is at 135 W. Carolina Ave. We can always use what ideas and information you have.
It’s encouraging that the Hartsville community has so many organizations in place working to improve the welfare and security of our residents. The Durant Children’s Center, Rubicon Family Counseling Services, the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault, Hartsville Interfaith Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, the Boys & Girls Club of Hartsville, the Darlington County Community Action Agency – all these groups and many more than I could hope to name are all working to make this community a more hopeful place to live. Their work on behalf of Hartsville is truly encouraging to those of us in law enforcement, and we in are proud to work alongside them.
We support each other in Hartsville, and I personally am absolutely honored by the support I have received as your public servant. Get in touch with us whenever you would like, and help us build a better Hartsville.