PORT ROYAL, S.C. (WSAV) — One Lowcountry town is starting the new year with a new chief in charge and already his leadership is making a noticeable difference.
With fresh changes inside the department, the Port Royal Police Department (PRPD) has seen promising results in arrests and drug seizures in just the last two weeks.
Since stepping into his role back in October, Chief Jeffrey Meyers has been focused on one key goal: rebranding the force to meet the growing needs of the community.
“As you probably know, it's a growing town,” said Meyers. "The population has really soared in the last couple of years, and the police department needs to keep up with that. So, we're kind of rebranding ourselves or becoming accredited, becoming a more professional agency."
After transferring from a larger city police department, Meyers said he understands the importance of public transparency and an active social media presence. Now he’s taking those skills and applying them towards the small, but rapidly growing town of Port Royal.
“We want to get out of the cars more. We want to interact with the community,” he said. “The social media aspect is showing the community what our officers are doing on a daily basis. Let them know that, you know, they’re out there, they’re making a difference. They’re watching their community. They’re seeing things that are going on.”
Meyers isn’t stopping there though.
In addition to focusing on community engagement, he’s looking to modernize the department’s image. This includes everything from new patrol cars and updated badges, to investing in top-tier training programs for officers.
“Port Royal, I believe is the Department of the Future,” said Meyers. “We are becoming accredited. We’ve increased our training budget tremendously. Officers are going to be better trained in the next couple of years, and you’re going to see an increase in professionalism.”
Chief Meyers said he knows that as Port Royal continues to grow, so must the department. And with growth comes a need for more hands-on deck. To that end, the department is already looking for new recruits for the year ahead.
“We're looking to put out as many as eight officers this year. So, anybody that feels they have what it takes to be a patrol officer, give us a call,” Meyers said.
And the qualifications to become a Port Royal police officer are outlined by Meyers himself.
“You can't just know the laws. You have to know people. We will teach you the laws," said Meyers. "It's hard to teach people, ‘people skills.’ So, we want people that are friendly in their community, that know their community, and they're really going to take the time to not just write somebody a ticket, but to look for the good things that people are doing and how can they help this person. Maybe that person's having a bad day, look beyond and just say, hey, you know, what can I do for you?”
Meyers said that he believes that with the team he has now and the future recruits, the department will only go upward.
“We've got a young command staff and a lot of really good future leaders her," he said. "With the increased training, increased accreditation, the support of an incredible town administration, town council, and mayor, I think you're going to see a department that people that live here, are going to be proud of.”