With residents of one Irmo neighborhood expressing concern about increased crime, police are responding with increased patrols.

Multiple residents spoke at a Feb. 21 Town Council meeting about how they feel unsafe, pushing council on what they are going to do to ensure residents are protected.

The neighborhood in question borders Harbison Gardens, an apartment complex jost over the town limits in the City of Columbia. In recent months the area has seen an influx of crime, which has led residents to turn to the town for help.

According to Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dale, ongoing criminal activity at the complex could lead to quality of life issues, but he added that his department does not have jurisdiction in Harbison Gardens, which creates difficulties in addressing the problem.

Dale told the Chronicle that Irmo Police have increased patrols throughout that area and that the Community Service Division has been in touch with neighborhood residents to be able to provide assistance and prompt responses.

Bolstering the town’s police force was emphasized beyond the Harbison Gardens issue at the meeting, with council briefly discussing the recruitment and retention of officers before unanimously voting to raise the starting salary for town police officers from $40,000 to $44,000. 

By the town’s own estimates this still puts them out of step with their neighbors, as council mentioned an Irmo study that found that departments in the area average $46,000 for officers starting out.

During the public hearing portion of the council meeting, two residents asked for security upgrades in the neighborhood near Harbison Gardens, requesting that cameras be installed as a way to deter criminal activity.

“I am not safe and I don't believe in guns,” said one woman. “I'm going out next week. I'm going to Palmetto Armory down here and learning how to shoot when I don't believe in guns. I am scared to live in this neighborhood.”

A woman who had her house burglarized brought up the idea of an action committee as a way to open communication between the neighborhood, the town and the apartment complex.

“One of the things that I've learned too is Harbison Garden residents have no clue what's happening on the Irmo side and Irmo has no clue what those residents are dealing with 20 yards apart,” she said.

Walker told residents that he conducted a meeting with multiple stakeholders regarding the apartment complex, including Superintendent Akil Ross of Lexington-Richland School District 5, the Irmo Police Department, Columbia City Council Member Tina Herbert and other city representatives, the Harbison Community Association, and Harbison Gardens’ management company. 

According to Walker, they discussed some ideas to solve the area’s ongoing problems that they are unable to share.