Our view editorial: Amp up police presence in Lake Wylie

Lake Wylie has experienced near explosive growth in the past five years. More businesses, more people, more traffic and, sadly, more crime. What appears not to have grown is a police presence.

According to the York County Sheriff’s Office website, yorkcountysheriff.com/ProStar/ProStar2, 16 deputies are assigned to District Two, the home of Kings Mountain federal and state parks in the west and extends to the Catawba Nuclear Station in York on Lake Wylie in the east. It covers the unincorporated areas surrounding Clover including the communities Bethany, Bethel and Lake Wylie.

Deputies work 12 hour shifts and are assigned either days or nights, the site states.

The district office is at the Sloan Center, 1474 E. Highway 55, suite 200, in Clover. While geographically it’s in the right place in the center of the district, demographically Lake Wylie has a much greater population density and more business arriving with more commercial developments.

Perhaps it’s time to grow a dedicated police presence on this side of the district. York County has top-notch officers doing great work and service for us, but we need more of them. For our part, if we witness a crime or suspicious activity be proactive by calling CrimeStoppers at 877-409-4321 or visit yorkcrimestoppers.com.

A look at recent crime news includes: break-ins at a local pharmacy, armed robbery at a service station, attempted ATM theft at a bank, shoplifting chain stores and theft from at child’s center.

There’s also the matter of traffic issues, including enforcement of the 35 mph zone between Buster Boyd Bridge and River Hills Plantation, and more cropping up with a growing number of residents during rush hour traffic times.

Before the area’s growth gets any greater – with about 3,000 new homes and apartments planned or under construction – we encourage considering a satellite office in Lake Wylie and more visible police presence.

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Our view editorial: Amp up police presence in Lake Wylie."