Chief: Drug and Juvenile Arrest Increases Due to Improved Police Work

Through the first three months of the calendar year, crime in Mauldin as a whole is up slightly from where it was at the same point last year.

Three areas, however, are up dramatically. Juvenile arrests have doubled (from 35 to 70). DUI arrests are up 25 percent (from 36 to 45) and drug-related arrests are up 32 percent (92 to 121).

Spikes such as those might lead to the belief that crime in Mauldin has gotten worse in the past year. But Police Chief Bryan Turner said that is not the case. In fact, Turner said that the jump in arrests is proof that the force has improved. He thinks that is especially true in the case of juvenile arrests, many of which are drug-related.

“We have more arrests with juveniles because our officers are being proactive.,” Turner said. “We’re clearing cases that happened last year and a lot of those are car break-ins.”

Turner added that he believes the threat level for gang activity is essentially what it was last year, but it’s well below what it was in 2006-2007 when the Mauldin PD implemented a gang prevention program.

Even with the increase in arrests Turner said that residents should know that juvenile crime traditionally spikes in the warmer months when school is out.

While it’s possible that some crimes among juveniles are impulsive, Turner said that .

“There are multiple people involved even in a , from the person acting as a lookout, to the one breaking in, to the one pawning whatever was stolen,” Turner said. “These are coordinated efforts.”

And the locations aren’t accidental either.

“They stake out vulnerable spots and they know who’s vulnerable and who’s not home,” Turner said. “They aren’t taking the change from the ashtray. They are going for valuables.”

While the criminals may be coordinating efforts, the police are too. Turner said the rise in drug arrests is a result of road officers, school officers and narcotics investigators working together.

“We’ve seen that drug distribution involves the same players being involved over and over,” Turner.

The numbers tell Turner that improvements are being made.

“I’m not saying everything is Utopia, but we have better trained officers,” Turner said.

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