At the most recent Batesburg-Leesville Town Council meeting, the fire and police departments provided reports to council members.

Fire Chief Josh Frye reported that the department responded to 1,411 calls for service in 2024. More than 800 children, ages three to 18, participated in the fire prevention program, along with over 500 adults. Adults and children learned about the dangers and causes of fires as well as prevention methods.

The department conducted 123 fire code compliance inspections and additionally found that 61% of calls occurred within town limits. Service demand in the Lexington County contract area accounted for 21%, while 5% came from the Saluda County Contract.

Frye also noted that automatic aid was provided when the fire department assisted other agencies. He emphasized the need for additional staffing to meet the community’s growing needs.

During the police report, it was revealed that officers responded to 12,168 calls in 2024, a slight decrease from 13,565 calls in 2023. However, response times improved, with officers arriving at an average of 3.28 minutes in 2024, compared to 4.17 minutes the previous year.

The police department currently has 32 staff members, including one part-time individual working 20 hours per week. The department currently has vacancies, with responsibilities varying by position.

Assaults increased slightly in 2024, with 189 reported compared to 137 in 2023. Kidnapping and sex offenses also saw an uptick, rising from six reports in 2023 to 16 in 2024. However, incidents of theft, drug offenses, weapons violations and miscellaneous offenses decreased.

Miscellaneous offenses include vandalism, harassment, missing persons, among others.

Group B offenses, such as public drunkenness, runaways, trespassing, etc., saw a slight increase, with 233 reports in 2024 compared to 231 in 2023.

A total of 1,370 reports were assigned for investigation or are still pending. Of these cases, 416 were administratively closed, meaning they could be reopened at any time. Additionally, 466 cases remain open, 404 were cleared by arrests and 72 were exceptionally cleared, typically due to an offender’s death, prosecution decline or jurisdictional issues.

The next regular town council meeting will take place on March 10 at 7 p.m. at the Batesburg-Leesville Town Hall Council Chambers (building B), located at 120 W. Church St. in Batesburg-Leesville.