Community Outreach

The City of Florence Police Department along with other City Departments participate in the Adopt-A-Dorm program each year at Christmas.  This program is a partnership with the SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs and is designed to help the clients of DSN receive gifts fulfilling their needs.  The Police Department is involved in a parade through the facility ending with Santa dispersing the gifts to the clients.  The funding for the Police Department's involvement is donated by members of the Florence Police Department.

The Citizen's Police Academy is a program designed to teach community members about the internal operations of the Police Department and give them hands-on training in a safe environment.  Citizens partake in a 6-week course, meeting once a week for approximately 2 hours.  The course includes live demonstrations by specialty teams within the department and presentations from experienced officers.  The purpose of this program is to build transparency with the public, showing them how and why we do what we do.  Citizens graduate from this program with a greater appreciation and understanding of Local Law Enforcement and the Police Department has the benefit of building relationships with the citizens of Florence.

Click here to learn more!

The Florence Police Department participates in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day during the months of October and April.  The purpose of this event is to promote safety and health. The public is encouraged to clean out their medicine cabinets and remove unneeded, unwanted and expired medications from their homes for proper disposal.  This can help prevent prescription drug addiction and misuse.  By hosting Drug Take back Day, the Florence Police Department aims to make our community safer by reducing overdoses and overdose deaths.

You can drop off any unwanted prescription drugs (excluding liquids), no questions asked.

Any upcoming Drug Take Back Day information will be announced on the City of Florence Police Department Facebook page.

National Night Out:

This is an annual community-building event that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer and more caring places to live.

National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors, neighborhoods, and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. It also provides an excellent opportunity for police officers and neighbors to connect under positive circumstances.

Employing successful law enforcement practices in today’s world requires effective partnerships. The Florence Police Department is pleased to have valuable and cooperative alliances with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Highway Patrol as well as with all of our Neighborhood and Business Crime Watch Associations. On the first Tuesday of August each year, we encourage neighborhood associations to stand with law enforcement to express our joint commitment toward keeping our streets free from crime. Our efforts are not simply to react to crime as it occurs, but also to assure you that we will do all that we can to work together in a proactive approach toward reducing criminal activity from all of our communities. 

Any upcoming National Night Out information will be announced on the City of Florence Police Department Facebook page.

The National Neighborhood Watch program empowers citizens to become active in community efforts through participation in Neighborhood Watch groups. It works to unite law enforcement agencies, private organizations, and individual citizens nationwide to reduce crime and improve local communities. The program has established Neighborhood Watch as the nation’s premier crime prevention and community mobilization program. Visual signs of the program are throughout America on street signs, window decals, community block parties, and service projects.

Florence has over 30 Neighborhood Watch groups within the community. The City of Florence Police Department encourages all residents within Florence to get involved by participating in one of the local community meetings listed below or by calling the City of Florence Police Department at (843) 665-3191.

Neighborhood Watch Group PDF

The Chief's Citizens Advisory Committee is a group of community leaders that meet directly with the Chief of Police and select staff to fulfill the following functions:

• Facilitate interaction and communication between the community and the police
• Provide a forum for obtaining community input about the delivery of police services
• Identify potential problems and provide advice on solutions to community issues related to policing
• Receive information from the public concerning Florence Police Department operations and programs
• Continually dialogue with the Chief about public relations and public safety issues

Additionally, the role of the Community Leaders on this committee are:

• To act in an advisory capacity to the Chief of Police
• To educate themselves on the day-to-day issues and situations faced by officers and to relay that understanding with other community members
• To a reasonable degree, become familiar with the operations and procedures of the Florence Police Department
• To fairly and accurately represent the ideas, opinions and issues of the residents of the community to the Chief of Police
• To be knowledgeable about current community issues and to participate in meaningful dialogue regarding the same

The overall goal of this committee is to foster transparent, positive relationships between the police and the community

SERGEANT TERRENCE CARRAWAY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
(Funded by the Florence Police Fund & Terrence F. Carraway Foundation)

Award: $1,000

The Sergeant Terrence Carraway Memorial Scholarship was established in January 2019 to honor the life of Sergeant Terrence Carraway (E.O.W. 10/03/2018) and to continue his passion for the advancement of youth in the Florence and Darlington communities. This scholarship is a need-based fund, awarded annually to two recipients from Florence County School District High Schools and two recipients from Darlington County School District High Schools. Scholarship awards are made payable to the recipient’s educational institution.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must attend Florence County High Schools or Darlington County High Schools. (public or private institution)
• Applicant must be a high school senior and meet all high school requirements to graduate or have GED equivalent.
• Demonstrate plans to attend an institution of higher learning, which may be a two year or a four-year college or vocational school.
• Be a citizen, national, or legal permanent resident of the United States.

Criteria for Awarding Scholarship:

• Must submit a completed application.
  
• Must submit a 500 minimum to a 600 maximum word essay on the topic provided on the application.
  
• Must provide a copy of your current high school transcript.

How are recipients selected?

Candidates are selected based on a comprehensive review of the information submitted with the candidate’s application.

**The Florence Police Fund committee and the Terrence F. Carraway Foundation board members does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender, color, creed, sexual orientation, disability, or national ethnic origin.**

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Click Here For Essay Writing Tips

Unity with the Community is an initiative designed to engage the community and strengthen the relationship between the community and law enforcement. This event is a great opportunity to ask questions, express concerns and learn how we can work together to grow our community.

Event activities include: 

• One-on-One charts & mingling
• Crime Prevention Tips
• FPD Community Outreach Program Details 
• Building trust & relationships in our community
• Ask questions and share your concerns

Any upcoming Unity with the Community information will be announced on the City of Florence Police Department Facebook page.

For more information, call 843-665-4008