New Sheriff's Office substation to serve Cainhoy/Huger/Wando community

In what was dubbed “a historic moment” on the Cainhoy Peninsula, more than 50 community members gathered for the opening of the new Cainhoy/Huger/Wando Sheriff’s Substation on Thursday, June 22.

Speakers for the event included Sheriff Duane Lewis; Berkeley County Councilman Steve Davis; S.C. House Representative Joseph Jefferson; Sybil Mitchell, president of the local Community Neighborhood Watch; and Nelliefield Plantation resident Lisa Kerns, a member of the Sheriff’s Advisory Board.

“It is extremely exciting!” said Mitchell. “This has been in the works for about a year.”

According to Lewis, the substation, located at 1501 Recreation Road, will not be staffed full-time by deputies, but by trained Community Action Team volunteers. The new law enforcement hub is located within an existing EMS station at the site.

“The people are trained and the community has been trained, too,” said Lewis. “Detectives will also be working out of this office so there will be a lot of law enforcement activity here. But the people will manage it and run it.”

Deputies who are out patrolling will use the space to bring victims of crime and meet with community members about sensitive issues, without having to drive to the main Sheriff’s Office in Moncks Corner. The new location will also make it easier and more convenient for community members to access incident reports.

Local residents Bertha Nesbitt and Geneva Williams emphasized the need for the substation.

“It’s wonderful,” said Nesbitt. “It’s long overdue with all the crime in the area, and the building was here doing nothing. Now we’re using it!”

“We’ve been trying for a long time and we’re so glad it finally came through,” said Williams.

“We just appreciate that it’s here,” added Cainhoy area resident Andrew Davis.

As Lewis campaigned prior to his election in 2015, he promised voters he would seek to increase law enforcement presence in rural communities, an idea brought to him by several area residents. But the task has not come without its challenges, he admits.

“The hard part of it was where were we going to put it? When I came out here when I was running for office and after I was elected, there were some folks who said ‘don’t come out here.’ They said ‘we don’t want you and we don’t need you.’”

Even though Lewis received push back, he stuck to his goals. Because of his determination and overwhelming support from the community, as well as from county and state legislators, this substation and several others are now becoming a reality.

“You wanted this substation,” said Lewis. “You want us in your community. I have vowed and made a commitment to all of you that we’re here, we’re going to stay and we’re not going anywhere.”

Lewis was not the only speaker to commend the community’s dedication. Both Mitchell and Jefferson emphasized the value of what happens when community members come together.

“The Cainhoy/Huger/Wando substation is a community office,” said Mitchell, who also serves on the Sheriff’s Advisory Board. “The operative word here is ‘community.’ When a community decides to make the right choices, it will draw to it the right lawmakers who will respect, honor and value what the residents bring to the table. I truly believe that when we work collectively and cooperatively, a healthy, viable community will emerge.”

“The credit really goes to the great contributions of our county council members, Steve Davis, our county supervisor, our Sheriff and most importantly to you the citizens of this community,” said Jefferson. “…We have none because we ask none. And we have got to ask for things if you really want things to become a reality.”

The program also included a ribbon cutting ceremony and a reception with light refreshments. In closing, Lewis expressed his confidence that the new location would make a difference in serving Cainhoy area citizens.

“It will work,” he said. “Crime will go down just because we’re here—just because you’re here and you care. Y’all didn’t give up and we will be here for you through the long haul. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

According to Lewis, the Cainhoy/Huger/Wando substation is the second of five locations that are set to open in the county. Substations are also planned for the Sangaree/Tall Pines/College Park area, Goose Creek and the Cane Bay community.