COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Friday the number of killings in the county dropped last year.
Lott released the latest batch of crime statistics for Richland County from the 2023 calendar year.
"I'm standing here today saying that our murders are down from the year before," Lott said.
Lott attributed the reduction in murders--as well as gun thefts-- to community involvement.
"They've helped us reduce the murder rate and other crimes," he said. "How we have reduced is because the community works with us. It's the trust we have built over so many years with our community where they see us as one, one team.
In addition to the drop in murders, Lott said they arrested a suspect in every killing.
"We had 31 people we arrested because we solved every murder we had, and I think that is very significant," Lott said. "When you look at what you can do to prevent murders--solve the ones that you have.
However, that 100 percent success rate in solving the 27 murders was not at the forefront of Sheriff Lott's mind. "It's really not a time to celebrate but it's a time to reflect on what we've done and what we did good and what we can continue to do and continue to work on,' he said.
While numbers decreased in categories including gun theft, major crimes, and property crimes in 2023, it was the opposite for car break-ins.
"Where we have seen an increase is cars being stolen, particularly in Kia's and Hyundai's," Lott said.
Lott attributed the increase to younger generations finding ways through social media to break into those models, specifically on TikTok, where videos describe how to pull off those crimes. But Lott said there is a fix for the vehicle's vulnerability.
"If somebody has a Hyundai or a Kia, come to the sheriff's department, we will give you this lock and show you how to put it on your car," he said.
Now, with more work to come in the new year to decrease car theft and continue the decrease in homicide numbers, the fully staffed sheriff's department is ready to take on what's next in 2024.
"The goal is not how many arrests we make, it's how much crime we prevent. that's the measure of success," Lott said.