The City of West Columbia Police Department continued to operate within the framework of the Community Oriented Policing philosophy during the budget year. The Department continued to stress community involvement, citizen input, and decentralization of authority within the Department through the community policing program. The West Columbia Leadership Council continued to be an integral part of the Police Department's Community Oriented Policing initiative. The overall objective of the Leadership Council is to improve our community for the benefit of all residents. The Council is involved in a number of programs in the city, including youth programs, city image enhancement and economic development. As part of the Community Oriented Policing goals, the department has established police substations. The substations have played an important role in establishing better relations between the City's leaders and its citizens.

With its continued emphasis on upgrading equipment and services and expanding community policing, the Police Department continued its efforts to obtain additional funds through state and federal grants. As a result of these efforts, the Police Department was awarded the following grants from the U. S. Department of Justice's Department of Justice Programs. The Police Department was awarded a Local Law Enforcement Block Grant in the amount of $39,720, which was used to purchase new computers and associated equipment and new software for creating a paperless reporting system. The Police Department was also awarded a Court Management Enhancement Grant in the amount of $58,537. This grant was funded on a 90 percent federal and 10 percent local cost sharing formula. These funds were used to purchase computer equipment, which included two laptop computers and a laser printer. The primary focus for the grant award was to acquire court management software with the objective of automating the court records system to be able to interface with the police records system to eliminate duplication of procedures.

For the second consecutive year, a School Resource Police Officer Grant in the amount of $52,811 was awarded to the Police Department. This grant was funded on a 90 percent federal and a 10 percent local cost sharing formula. In addition to providing security, the School Resource Officer teaches classes in crime prevention, safety and drug awareness. The Police Department also continued to receive federal funding for police officer positions for its ongoing community oriented policing program.

In 1993, the City of West Columbia initiated a curbside recycling program. From the program's initiation of November 1, 1993 through June 30, 2001, a total of 3,297 tons of recyclable materials has been removed from the waste stream. Over 2,429 tons of newspaper and other paper products, 138 tons of steel cans, 55 tons of aluminum, 150 tons of plastic and 525 tons of glass have been taken to processing plants for reuse.

In 1998 the City conducted a study of its sanitation operations and concluded that commercial trash pickup should be changed from rear-end load trucks to front-end load garbage trucks. The change to front-end load garbage trucks has allowed the City's commercial trash pick-up to operate with less manpower, increased safety, and better efficiency and reduced liability costs. The City purchased two front-end load garbage trucks and completed a citywide change over to front-end load dumpsters in the fiscal year June 30, 1999. Because of increased demand, the City had to purchase an additional front-end load garbage truck in the current fiscal year at a cost of $150,000.

Since the City initiated a user fee for commercial garbage pick up the revenue generated has averaged over $100,000 per year. In the current fiscal year the revenue exceeded $111,500.

West Columbia Community Empowerment Center
The established a new community relations program in 1998 with the goal of providing overall guidance in the planning, development and monitoring of community/neighborhood initiatives. A community liaison director was hired to direct the activities of the West Columbia Community Empowerment Center. In 2001, the Empowerment Center provided a very important service for the development of the West Columbia community. Examples of the program's successful initiatives were:

• Linked residents with programs and services operated by community agencies.
• Provided Thanksgiving baskets to 40 needy families.
• Assisted 300 people (approximately 85 families) with emergency food supplies.
• Coordinated an outreach project with local churches, schools and civic clubs to assist needy residents with a winter clothing drive.
• Provided toys to 180 children from low-income families with an Adopt-a-Child Christmas tree project that provided gifts to children who otherwise would not have had any Christmas presents.
• Coordinated a Back to School Bash party for over 250 children from various West Columbia neighborhoods in an effort to provide school supplies for children before returning to school.
• Coordinated an Easter Egg Hunt for over 250 children, which provided Easter Baskets for needy children.

During 2000, as a result of the dedicated efforts of the City's community relations staff to achieve a high level of excellence, the City was awarded by the International City and County Management Association the award for Programs for the Disadvantaged in Memory of Carolyn Keane. This prestigious international award was given in recognition of the City's Community Empowerment Center.