Charleston Police Department

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Charleston Police Department (CPD)

Overview
- CPD is the primary police force for Charleston, South Carolina.
- Established in 1855; one of the state's oldest municipal agencies.
- Staff includes about 456 sworn officers, 117 civilian employees, plus reserve officers.
- 2023 operating budget was around $60.8 million.
- Motto: H.E.A.R.T. (Honor, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Teamwork).

History
- Early policing began as the Town Watch, then the City Guard after Charleston’s incorporation.
- The City Guard helped suppress the 1822 Denmark Vesey rebellion.
- Reorganized several times, emerging as a modern city police force in 1856.
- Disbanded during Civil War martial law; reorganized again in 1865 and formalized in 1877.
- Growth included new stations in 1888 and 1907, with a long-time HQ on Vanderhorst/St. Philip until moving to Lockwood Boulevard in 1974.
- In 2011, CPD earned CALEA Accreditation with Excellence (highest CALEA award) and also received a Meritorious Accreditation.
- The department faced criticism for its response to the 2020 George Floyd protests in downtown Charleston.

Organization and structure
- The chief of police leads the department, appointed by the mayor.
- Four operational areas:
- Chief of Police Staff (administrative functions)
- Bureau of Operations (Patrol and Special Operations)
- Bureau of Investigations (Central Investigations, Forensic Services)
- Bureau of Procedural Justice and Community Policing (Professional Standards, Administrative Services, Community Outreach, Fleet Operations, Procedural Justice & Research, Special Projects)

Headquarters building
- Charleston’s policing roots include the Town Watch and City Guard in various guard houses.
- Central station opened in 1887 at King and Hutson streets.
- In 1907, a new headquarters at Vanderhorst and St. Philip streets opened and remained until 1968.
- Since 1974, the CPD has been headquartered on Lockwood Boulevard.

Fallen officers
- The CPD has lost 24 officers in the line of duty since 1857.
- It has the most fallen officers among South Carolina’s local city departments.

Services
- CPD runs several specialized units: SWAT, K-9, Explosive Devices, Mounted, Civil Disturbance Team, Underwater Response, Harbor Patrol.
- Calls for service: 2022 – about 124,337 calls with 4,451 arrests; 2024 – about 112,791 calls with 5,535 arrests.
- Reported crimes (selected): 2024 total crimes around 1,774; 2023: 1,964; 2022: 1,924; 2021: 2,017.

Demographics
- Sworn officers: 83% male, 17% female.
- Race (sworn): 69% White, 14% Black, 4% Other, 1% Asian.
- Race (unsworn): 8% White, 3% Black, 1% Other, 0% Asian.

See also
- Charleston church shooting

External link
- Official website: Charleston, SC Government – Police Department

Note: This is a concise, easy-to-understand summary of the Charleston Police Department based on publicly available information.