HICKS COLUMN: Real change comes to Walterboro

It's great to see Walterboro doing so well these days.

For several scary years, that wasn't the case. Violent crime was epidemic in a place where it should be a rarity.

In one 48-hour period in 2009, 11 people were shot. A baby was killed, one innocent bystander was gunned down in her bed, victims of errant gunshots. For a community of that size -- or any size, really -- that's just crazy.

All that seemed somehow even more tragic because Walterboro is without a doubt one of the nicest, prettiest small towns in the state. That sort of thing shouldn't happen anywhere, but especially not in a place so well-known for its beauty that Hollywood comes calling regularly.

On Sunday, Glenn Smith reported on the city's turnaround, marked by a 36 percent drop in aggravated assaults, a rate that thankfully is continuing to trend downward. In 2010, there was one murder. One too many, sure, but far fewer than most years of late.

A lot of people deserve credit for this reversal of fortune. But one of the best, most progressive, things going on in the city is a mentoring program for at-risk teens. A lot of other cities would be wise to copy it.

About the job training

The mentoring program is done through the state Department of Juvenile Justice with an assist from the Department of Commerce, which leveraged a federal grant for the program. Already, some conservatives are groaning.

The idea is to get internships for at-risk teens identified by DJJ. The program pairs these kids with various employers, not exactly to teach them professional skills but to give them life skills: how to dress for a job, how to talk to an employer. They are taught responsibility, the importance of showing up on time and doing what they're told. Already, the program is showing signs that it pays off.

A couple of teens ended up placed with the Walterboro Police Department, and Chief Otis Rhodes was astounded by the progress these kids made in a short time. "There was one, he just didn't like to be around police officers," Rhodes says. "But he took a liking to police work. Now his outlook on law enforcement authority is totally different than when he started. He is talking to me about becoming a police officer."

That's a great example of just how useful a government program can actually be.

Stopping the root cause

A lot of the violent crime that plagued Walterboro a few years ago was committed by teens and people in their early 20s. So much of the criminal activity was attributed to gang violence that SLED set up shop in the town to help out the overworked police and sheriff's office.

For that reason, City Manager Jeff Lord says the mentoring program may prove to be the most important component of all the work Walterboro is doing to clean up its streets.

"You can only lock up so many folks," Lord says. "The best thing you can do is get to these youths before they get in trouble, and show them a different way."

And some people say the government doesn't do any good.

Follow Brian Hicks on Twitter at @BriHicks_PandC.