On
behalf of
Chief Harlean Howard,
her staff, and the members of the Lancaster
(lang-kuh-ster)
Police Department, welcome to
our website! The Lancaster Police Department serves the City of
Lancaster, which is a city of about 10,000 people in the Charlotte
metropolitan area of South Carolina.
We
employ approximately 51 members, of which 40 are
certified full-time police officers. The city and the department both
have long and prestigious histories and futures filled with potential.
The
Lancaster Police Department
is
a proud and progressive law-enforcement agency made up of skilled and
dedicated employees. In addition to the
uniformed patrol division, the department has several areas of
specialization including: investigations, tactical operations, drug
enforcement, and K-9. Officers who reside within the city limits may be
eligible for a take-home patrol vehicle.
We
are a technologically advanced department. Each first-line patrol
vehicle is equipped with a radar,
Mobile Data Terminals, In-Car Digital Recording System,
global positioning unit for
collision investigation, 12 gauge shotgun and
Bushmaster .223 Assault Rifle, bars that cover the back windows
(which prevent them from being kicked out by prisoners), plastic
"safety" seats in the back (to prevent contraband from being hidden),
and a partition/shield between the front and back seats. In addition,
the supervisor's patrol car is equipped with a Thermal Imaging System
and an Automated External Defibrillator.
Our incident reports, booking reports, and “mug
shots” are done with computers
and we are equipped with two Cross Match Technologies Live Scan
Fingerprint Machines (pictured to the right). These machines allow
us to identify a suspect within minutes of submitting their
fingerprints. Once submitted, the arrest record is
automatically added to the suspect's criminal record. If the
suspect used an alias, that name is added as an alias on his/her
criminal record.
Officers
are issued all gear required for patrol duties including .40 caliber
Glock, pistol mount flashlight, Stinger flashlight, walkie-talkie,
pepper spray, X-26 Taser, and body armor. New uniforms are obtained
annually. We offer benefit packages including life, health, and dental
insurance, tuition reimbursement, as well as participation in the state
police retirement system. Officers may receive a rank and/or salary
higher than entry-level for law enforcement certifications, college
education, military service, and other qualities desirable in police
officers.
The
city itself has seen unprecedented growth in recent years with a
tremendous increase in new businesses and industries. We have an amount
of shopping and dining choices that is comparable to much larger cities.
The city offers a full-service hospital and a campus of the University
of South Carolina. According to the US Census Bureau, Lancaster
County is now the 17th largest and one of the fastest growing counties
in the state. A 2007 study by the American Chamber of Commerce
Researchers Association ranked Lancaster County as having the second
lowest cost-of-living in the United States and the lowest in the
southeast. Lancaster County also boasts one of the lowest tax
rates in South Carolina.
We are strategically located near all of the
Charlotte-area attractions and are situated within easy drives of both
the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee and the Grand Strand
of South Carolina’s beaches. Within the county itself, there are
plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities such as hunting, camping,
hiking, fishing, etc.