New joint police substation opens in Orangeburg

ORANGEBURG, SC (WOLO) — The opening of a new substation at the corners of Goff Avenue and Buckley Street is a joint effort between Orangeburg’s Department of Public Safety, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina State University, and Claflin University.

Orangeburg’s Police Chief Charles Austin says the collaboration represents community policing in its purest form.

“Shared responsibility, bringing all the resources that you have available into a unit effort, involving the community, and of course in addition to this we’re going to be meeting with students at both Claflin and SC State to ensure they are familiar with the joint substation, and if they have concerns they will know that this site is available to them,” says Austin.

The entities will use the substation to create a greater presence near the two universities while providing a safer environment for students and community members.

With the substation being just a block away from South Carolina State, the school’s Vice President of Academic Affairs Frederick Evans, hopes the substation will heighten visibility and deter crime, while helping students feel even more comfortable going to officers with their concerns.

“Students will be amp to report crimes, and feel that there is another level of crime prevention here in Orangeburg,” says Evans.

And safer students means happier parents.

Melvin Williams is the Chief of Police and Executive Director of Public Safety for Claflin University.

“Knowing that the agencies are all working together and exchanging information and that they can go to not just one but any of them and be heard, and find the safety that they’re looking for — I think it’s going to increase the confidence of our students in law enforcement in general as well as make the parents feel a lot safer,” Williams says.

The substation will also be used as a meeting place for community members to express their concerns with law enforcement when needed.

Austin also says an additional street camera will be added in the area for a heightened sense of security.