Irmo residents continue to express concern about increased crime crossing over from a Columbia apartment complex.

Residents of both Irmo and the Harbison area of Columbia attended the Harbison Committee Association meeting March 28, with residents speaking about how unsafe they felt in their neighborhood. 

“It's a cancer, folks, it will creep. It may not be your neighborhood today.” said Tammy Pierce, a resident of the Irmo neighborhood Beacon Hill. “But it will be yours tomorrow.”

The neighborhood in question borders Harbison Gardens, an apartment complex just over the Irmo town limits in the City of Columbia. In recent months the area has seen an influx of crime, which has led residents to push for better safety measures.

The area of concern falls under multiple jurisdictions, including Columbia and Irmo police and the county sheriff’s departments for Richland and Lexington.

Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dale told the Chronicle that the ongoing criminal activity at the apartment 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. 

Residents in the area are becoming exasperated with the issue, with one citizen at the meeting calling it the “Bermuda Triangle of 911.”

“Your home should be a place where you can go at night and feel safe and secure. The people of Beacon Hill do not have that,” said Benjie Friday, a Beacon Hill resident. “I don't consider it a luxury, I consider it a right, and we don't have it.” 

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told the Chronicle that his department has been holding conversations with Irmo and Columbia police to come together and address the problem. He added that the department has established a dialogue with those who have reached out and that officers are in that area on a periodic basis.

“I think it’s something that can be solved,” Lott said. “The problems that happen overnight are not going to be solved overnight, but I think we've got a good start and then we'll just continue to move forward.”

The sheriff said a security analysis of the complex has been completed, with his department meeting with the district managers of the complex. Lott shared that they provided recommendations to update safety and code procedures, some of which the complex has already implemented.

Jennifer Timmons, public information officer for the Columbia Police, told the Chronicle that the department has a courtesy officer at the complex and has the residential area on a routine property check.

“It’s valuable to have marked patrol cars visible to both residents and the criminal element,” Timmons said. “Resident safety is important to us and we will continue to work with partner law enforcement agencies to prevent and deter crime.”

Lexington County officials are also aware of the problem.

“I have met with local citizens and reviewed concerns and issues,” said Lexington County Council Member Charlene Wessinger, whose District 6 includes the impacted area. “All three jurisdictions must work together, from law enforcement to councils, including community key players, to make a difference. We can’t continue to just push responsibility off on the next jurisdictions like has been done, and the folks committing the criminal activities know this all too well!”

Wessinger told the Chronicle that Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon informed her that his department is meeting monthly and communicating daily with Columbia and Irmo police and its counterpart in Richland County.

Per communication from Koon that Wessinger shared, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is assisting with investigations that involve suspects operating within the bordering jurisdictions, with routine patrols being conducted and assistance being given in these areas when requested.

While local governments and law enforcement figure out how to handle criminal activity in the area, residents push for their own solutions.

Audra Hawisher, a Beacon Hill Resident who experienced a break-in, said that when she inquired about installing ShotSpotter, the gunshot detection technology used by both Columbia and West Columbia, Columbia City Manager Teresa Wilson said the area didn’t have enough crime to necessitate it.

“My screened-in porch is literally probably 20 yards from a window of that apartment complex,” Hawisher said. “So if I sit in my screened in porch, honestly, and I'm not exaggerating, I'm scared that somebody could open a window, put a gun out there and I can get sniped on my own property.”

The Chronicle has reached out to Wilson, along with other officials with the City of Columbia, but they have yet to comment.