BLUFFTON BEAT “Committed to Community”

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Chief ’s Message Welcome to the Bluffton Police

Department’s fall 2017 newsletter. The intention

of this quarterly newsletter is to make the public

aware of what we do on a daily basis, as well as,

what special activities we have recently

completed or are planning to take part in. I’d

like to first introduce myself to those who may not know me. In July, I was

promoted to Chief of Police after spending 3 and half years as the

department’s Deputy Chief. Before that, my 29+ years in law enforcement

had been spent in Florida. Bluffton is a very special town to me and I’m

proud to be your Chief.

Hurricane Irma

CRIME

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BLUFFTON OFFICER OF THE

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The Bluffton Police Department held its annual

swearing-in and awards ceremony on Wednesday,

August 9th. At that time awards were presented to

officers who have exemplified themselves as leaders

and those who have worked in line with the

department’s vision of “committed to community.”

This year’s Officer of the Year was awarded to

Officer Jeff Dickson for his dedication and work

ethic in putting criminals behind bars.

Sgt. Bonifacio Perez was awarded the Senior Leadership

award which is presented to a supervisor that has shown

excellent leadership and professionalism in the pursuit of

the Bluffton Police Department’s mission. This year the

Leadership Award is being given to Sergeant Bonifacio

Perez. Sergeant Perez is our youngest Sergeant in the

department, but his dedication to his Team, his maturity

and his decision making is wise beyond his years.

MPO Jason Rodriguez was awarded the Live Saving Award.

This is issued to an officer who has made extraordinary

actions, and were directly responsible or assisted in saving a

human life. In October of last year, Officer Rodriguez and

Officer Mendicino responded to a call in which Mr. Hensley

had collapsed and was unresponsive. Officer Mendicino retrieved his AED

from his patrol car, and applied the AED pads to Mr. Hensley’s chest while

Officer Rodriguez monitored Mr. Hensley’s condition. Officer Rodriguez and

Mendicino then administered chest compressions on Mr. Hensley until EMS

arrived and placed him on the automated check compression machine. This

was a situation in which all are trained for but you never know how you will

react. Officer Rodriguez’s reacted with courage and strength.

FALL SAFETY

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Autumn is a time of Football, cooler weather and shortening days. Now is the time to perform some

simple maintenance tasks to insure that we continue to stay safe. This is also a good time to inventory any

safety kits, such as hurricane or travel kits. Check your vehicle to ensure that it is prepared for traveling to visit

family and friends.

Home

Prune shrubbery away from windows before foliage blocks win-

dows.

Change your smoke alarm batteries.

Out and About

Drive safely, use your headlights since it is getting dark earlier

each day.

Lock all car doors and hide all items in trunk out of plain view.

Make sure you are not encumbered with a large number of items.

Women, carry your purse as close to your body as possible, no

dangling straps. Men, carry your wallet in front pants

pocket.

Do not travel alone.

Recreation

Cyclists should lock bikes up and wear reflective safety

equipment. Register your bike in case it is stolen or lost.

Boaters should check their equipment and make sure it is

serviceable and working properly.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

Bluffton Police Department’s National Night Out event was full of fun and

educational information again. The fourth annual event took place at Eagle’s

Field on Tuesday, October 3rd. Typically, this event is held on the first Tues-

day of August, but due to the heat in past years, the department decided to

change it to October. This proved to be very beneficial for the thirty non-profit

organizations, sponsors, and local and state law enforcement agencies who

took part in the event.

There was free food, free drinks, free arts and crafts for the children, free K9

demonstration, free jaws-of-life demonstration, free child car seat checks, free

pet microchipping, and free goodies for everyone that joined in the fun. For

those who missed it, here are some pictures and please mark your calendar for

next October.

CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY

Twenty-one students with the Bluffton Police Department’s Citizens

Police Academy will graduate Monday, October 16th from the 11-week

course. Each week, the students have learned various aspects of how

police investigate crimes, how evidence is processed, why the

department uses specific equipment, how K9s are used for various police

needs, and more on what police do on a daily basis. This is the 4th

annual CPA class Bluffton Police has held. It begins in August of each

year and runs through October.

ARE YOU PREPARED?

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If you haven’t yet prepared your hurricane kit, it’s never too late.

Hurricane season lasts until November 30. So far this year we have dealt with

Hurricane Irma and those of you here last year, remember Hurricane Matthew.

If you haven’t yet made your kit or know what you should do if a hurricane

were to affect us, here are a few basic tips.

Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the local hurricane

evacuation route(s) to take and have a plan for where you can stay.

Put together a disaster supply kit, including a flashlight, batteries, cash, first

aid supplies, and copies of your critical information if you need to evacuate

If you are not in an area that is advised to evacuate and you decide to stay in

your home, plan for adequate supplies in case you lose power and water for

several days and you are not able to leave due to flooding or blocked roads.

Make a family communication plan. If you and your children are in different

places when an emergency occurs, how will you get in touch with each

other? Do you have a meeting place? What happens if you lose power,

internet and phone service? How will you let loved ones know you are ok?

Check with your local officials and find out how they will be disseminating

information letting the public know if they must leave, when they must

leave, and when they can return. Here at Bluffton PD we utilize our website,

Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor and our free App for IPhones and Android

called MyPD. It can be found in any app store.

While these are just a few basic tips, the South Carolina Emergency

Management Division produces a Hurricane Guide each year that provides

specifics on where to go, what to take and how to return. To read the guide go

to the Bluffton Police Department’s homepage at http://

www.townofbluffton.sc.gov/police-department/home or click on the picture

below.

CHRISTMAS PARADE

Can you believe the annual Bluffton Christmas Parade is less than

two months away. While plans and preparations are starting to be put in

place, there is still plenty of time for local businesses and organizations to sign

up to participate.

This year the parade will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2017. To

register for the parade go to:

https://www.townofbluffton.sc.gov/christmas-parade

In order to keep the parade safe and enjoyable for all, we ask the parade

participants follow the rules listed below.

* The parade begins at 10:00 a.m. Streets will begin closing at 8:00 a.m.

* All parade entries should arrive in their staging areas by 8:00 a.m.

* Tractor trailers are not permitted in the parade.

* The parade ends at Pin Oak Street and 9th Avenue, but we ask that all

floats disembark at Red Cedar Elementary to keep everyone safe.

* Float trailers can't be more than 13 feet in height (measured from the

ground).

* Be cautious of decoration heights due to low-lying tree limbs along the

parade route.

* T-shirt cannons (or any other type of cannon/firing devices) are not

allowed.

* Check EMAIL - Announcements and correspondence between participants

and Town officials will be conducted via email up to the day of the parade.

Please check spam and junk folders for lost emails.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

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Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival

The thirteenth annual Historic Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival will

be held in Old Town Bluffton again this year. The festival is a week

long event offering a myriad of activities, showcasing the locally

harvested seafood, delicious Low Country cuisine, rich history, culture

and art of the area and Southern hospitality found only in Bluffton.

The highlight of the festival is the Street fest which includes a juried

fine art show featuring over 100 artists from 10 different states

displaying and selling their art, delicious food provided by the area's

premier restaurants and caterers and great music and entertainment on

Saturday, October 21st and Sunday, October 22nd.

American Legion Post 205

Veterans Day

Parade

Saturday, November 11th

Bluffton

10 AM

To register to be in the

parade, email

americanle-

gionpost205@yahoo.com