HICKS COLUMN: City finally off crime naughty list

If there was ever a top 10 list to fall off of, this is it.

On Wednesday, Post and Courier writer Glenn Smith reported that North Charleston is down to No. 63 on the list of the 400 most dangerous cities in America, according to the analysis of Washington-based CQ Press. That puts the North Chuck in line with Columbia and Chattanooga -- some pretty average, mid-size Southern cities, crime-wise.

What's most amazing is that for the past four years the city has been among the top 25 on that most undesirable list. That included a two-year stint in the top 10 -- putting it in league with places like Detroit, St. Louis and Camden, N.J.

Now, homicides alone are down 61 percent, and that's nothing short of a miracle -- and a testament to the good work of Chief Jon Zumalt and the North Charleston Police Department, as well as the city's residents.

All too often these days there is nothing to report but bad news, so this is a treat.

Let's hear it for North Charleston.

Community policing

North Charleston long has been the butt of local jokes, considered Charleston's less attractive little sister. But, in case you haven't noticed, North Chuck has come a long way lately.

Park Circle is going through its renaissance, there is cutting-edge technology at the former Charleston Naval Base and a little company called Boeing is opening shop at the airport. Today, many of the metro area's 650,000 souls will be at the Tanger outlet mall, one of the best shopping spots in a city that has led the state in retail sales for the past 16 years.

With the crime rate in decline, people are making far fewer snide remarks about North Charleston.

City Councilman Michael Brown is quick to credit Zumalt and his police force for making North Charleston a better, safer place to live.

"The chief was willing to do a lot of new things," Brown says. "He's been cooperative. So have the officers, and they don't have an easy job."

Brown is referring to Zumalt's community policing programs, which have put more cops on the streets, embedded them in specific neighborhoods. The chief also has built strong relationships with residents of the various neighborhoods, giving folks a new level of trust in police.

And people say the government can't do anything right.

The right direction

Make no mistake. There are places in North Charleston that are still too dangerous. The residents of Chicora-Cherokee are still battling crime, for instance.

But as things improve in other parts of the city, it's likely to have a ripple effect. Police will have more time to concentrate resources on areas that need the most work. That's as it should be.

Brown is too modest to mention it, but he and his colleagues on council -- along with Mayor Keith Summey --deserve credit too. They have wisely given the police department the latitude and money needed to get a handle on something that's been a real problem for a long time.

And, luckily, they aren't about to put the brakes on the police department's efforts.

"Even though we're at No. 63, you would like to be better than that," Brown says.

That's a realistic goal these days. Because North Charleston is headed in the right direction.