The 2024 Crime in South Carolina Annual Report, released this month from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, details crime statistics reported by law enforcement agencies throughout the state. It shows mostly low crime statistics for Lexington County compared to those of other South Carolina counties; however, there is one crime category in which Lexington County shows the highest number of cases in the state.

According to the report, however, there are 279 active law enforcement agencies in the state, but 37 agencies are not compliant with the South Carolina Incident-Based Reporting System, meaning that the 37 agencies are missing one or more 2024 SCIBRS submissions. This may impact the data in the report.

Midlands Technical College Police Department, Atlantic Railroads Police Department and Lexington State Transport Police appear to be the only agencies with ties to Lexington County included in those 37 non-compliant agencies.

In 2024, Lexington County had 252 criminal sexual contact cases—the highest count in the state—with a clearance rate of 16%. Charleston County had the second most, with 116 cases and a clearance rate of 27%.

Clearance rates, according to the report, are determined when an arrest has been made or exceptional means have occurred, such as the death of the offender.

According to the report, “Criminal Sexual Contact is the touching of the private body parts of another for the purpose of sexual gratification without the consent of the victim. … This offense is an element of crimes such as rape, sodomy, or sexual assault with an object, and therefore cannot be reported separately for the same victim. However, in the absence of sexual penetration, a crime may fall under the category of criminal sexual contact.”

Statewide, the criminal sexual contact rate decreased by 10.1% from 2023 to 2024, according to the report.