Sheriff’s Dept. gives report on HTF
Sheriff James Hudson. FILE PHOTO
In May of 2021, Sheriff James Hudson Jr. created the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Task Force/Violent Crime Unit (HTF) in an effort to reduce the number of violent crimes occurring in Darlington County. Since the implementation of the HTF, the unit has investigated 46 homicides, where 41 of those homicides were solved and 87 arrests were made. This is a solvability rate of 89% which is well above the national average. The HTF has also looked back at some cold cases and was able to clear two older Cold Case Homicides.
In 2023, so far this year alone, the HTF has investigated 9 Homicides, with 5 of those being closed by arrest or offender death.
Along with the Criminal Investigation Division, Narcotics Investigations, and the Patrol Division, the HTF has helped curb violent crime in the county this year by making 22 Attempted Murder arrests and seizing 114 illegal firearms.
Also, as in creating the HTF, the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office has increased an effort in Street Crime Suppression to deter violent crime throughout the county. Over the last two and a half years, the Sheriff’s Office has organized or participated in numerous suppression operations combined with other agencies throughout Darlington County, which resulted in multiple arrests, and various amounts of drugs, and firearm seizures.
Sheriff James Hudson Jr., and the rest of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, is committed to the citizens of Darlington County and will work diligently to help make Darlington County a safer place to live or work.