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Police seek vacant homes for K9 training

 

Realtors and real estate investors have an opportunity to support law enforcement – and perhaps keep their own neighborhoods a little safer. Cpl. Michael Austin, K9 officer with the Greenville Police Department, spoke at Pleasant Valley Connection July 30 as part of Dynamic Realty's Community Connection series. He introduced everyone to his partner, Fox, and explained the role of dogs in local law enforcement. “It's a really cool job – I probably have the best job in the police department,” he said. He also mentioned that K9 officers can utilize vacant homes. “We're always looking for places to train,” he said, and homes that have not been cleaned out yet can be the perfect place. “Having us come out and train is a crime deterrent,” he added, given the heavy police presence in a neighborhood during training exercises. “It makes a huge impact when all the dogs come out,” he said. For information, contact Austin at 467-5365 or maustin@greenvillesc.gov.

See you in Summary Court

 

It is important for people in the real estate industry to know their way around magistrate's court, or summary court, as it is referred to in Greenville County. Judge Charles Garrett of Chick Springs Summary Court gave an update on how the legal process in his court works as part of Dynamic Realty's Community Connection series on July 23. “Our arm is going to extend out even further,” he said. Currently, they can handle civil cases up to $7,500 dollars, but that is expected to increase to $12,500. Summary court also handles disputes over earnest money (referred to as an interpleader action), as well as many landlord-tenant actions. Garrett and his staff also recommended against entering into any written or implied lease-option arrangements, which cause difficulties if an eviction is necessary.

Greenville puts more cops on the road

 

Just days after Upstate police solved a multiple-homicide case in Gaffney that drew national attention, Dynamic Realty Inc. toured the Greenville County Law Enforcement Center. The center includes headquarters for the Greenville County Sheriff's Office and Greenville City Police, as well as the county jail. City police officer Courtney Palmer led the July 9 tour as part of Dynamic's Community Connection series. She said the typical patrol officer spends less than two hours of their 12-plus-hour shift at the LEC. Greenville began the year with 193 sworn officers, the city having beefed up its ranks in recent years. “It used to be we were lucky to have 11 people on the road at one time,” Palmer said. “now we have 16-18.” Palmer pointed out two opportunities that many local citizens may not know about. First, there is a police museum at 426 N. Main St. Also, licensed businesses in the city of Greenville can join the Business Watch program, which e-mails daily information about crime patterns, recent cases, and wanted criminals. For information, visit, http://police.greenvillesc.gov/.