Orangeburg received state recognition this past weekend for its efforts in cracking down on crime and drugs, and for its Orangeburg Idol contest.

The Orangeburg Department of Public Safety's regional law enforcement forensic laboratory received the Municipal Achievement Award. The Orangeburg Idol event earned the 2007 Main Street South Carolina Inspiration Award for Outstanding Promotional Event.

The awards were presented during the Municipal Association of South Carolina's 68th Annual Meeting in Charleston.

The city won in the 10,001- 20,000 population category.

A record number of municipalities participated in the Achievement Awards this year, with 39 cities and towns submitting their projects and initiatives.

DPS crime lab

With violent crime rates reaching a dangerous high, Orangeburg officials worked with state and local agencies to develop a regional drug-analysis laboratory to speed up the prosecution of offenders.

The State Law Enforcement Division, which handled the drug analysis for Orangeburg and all law enforcement agencies in the region, was overwhelmed and couldn't keep the requests from stacking up.

DPS Chief Wendell Davis, in conjunction with Claflin University, decided to do something about the issue.

In 2003, Orangeburg received funding through the Drug Control and System Improvement Program to hire an independent forensic drug chemist.

In the interim, both the city and the county began submitting their drug samples exclusively to the Lexington County Drug Lab for analysis. This was a first step in expediting drug analysis.

Once hired, the Orangeburg chemist continued to work at the Lexington County laboratory until a suitable local facility could be found.

Meanwhile, plans for a DPS headquarters on Middleton Street began to take shape.

The plans included a drug-testing laboratory and office space for the chemist. This was the first official drug-testing lab specifically designated to analyze drug evidence from the 1st Judicial Circuit.

The city wants to expand its partnership with Claflin and develop a freestanding, full-service laboratory on campus. City officials also want to conduct DNA and ballistic analysis at the local lab, thus relieving its dependency on SLED.

Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller, who accepted the award, described the statewide recognition as "gratifying."

"This year's award was very meaningful because of the partnership we have with Claflin University," Miller said. "One of the things I think probably helped us achieve the award is the big reduction in the number of violent crimes."

Miller was referring to statistics released by the South Carolina Violent Crime Reduction Project, a three-year study of the criminal justice system in the 1st Judicial Circuit.

The report reveals that in 1999, there were 1,032 violent crimes per 10,000 residents.

In 2006, the violent crime rate dropped to 275 violent crimes per 10,000 residents. Orangeburg County went from being ranked first in violent crime to 38th.

"We have a tool to gather the type of evidence we need to get these people to court quicker," Miller said, "instead of letting them out on the street and able to commit another crime before we get the materials back from SLED. It is state-of-the-art technology."

"This public-private partnership that the city of Orangeburg initiated to protect residents will be an example to others for years to come," said Howard Duvall, executive director of the Municipal Association.

The DPS lab was initiated after the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting System in the late 1990s showed Orangeburg County had the highest number of violent crimes per 10,000 residents, more than any other county in the state.

The state was listed as having one of the highest violent crime rates per capita in the United States.

Davis urged the initiation of a pilot program, the South Carolina Violent Crime Reduction Project.

The study discovered a significant portion of violent crimes committed here were associated with the illegal drug trade.

The Municipal Association of South Carolina initiated the Achievement Awards in 1987 to recognize and encourage innovations and excellence in local government.

It is not the first time Orangeburg has won.

In 2001, the city was recognized for its Centennial Park and, in 2002, for its Orangeburg County/City Industrial Park at U.S. 301 and Interstate 26. In 2004, the city won the award for its spray park in the Edisto Memorial Gardens.

Orangeburg Idol

The Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association's Orangeburg Idol event was awarded the 2007 Main Street South Carolina Outstanding Promotional Event Award.

The event, held Aug. 3 at Stevenson Auditorium, showcased local talent.

The Promotional Event Award aims to recognize the best single promotional event staged during 2007 by one of the Main Street South Carolina communities.

Even after the event, Orangeburg Idol continued to raise money for downtown revitalization.

The six finalists in the contest released a Christmas CD benefiting DORA. Another Orangeburg Idol event is scheduled Aug. 1-2. The event is $15 a night and $25 for both nights if tickets are purchased before the event.

"The timing is just wonderful," DORA Executive Director Bernice Tribble said, noting the organization is on the verge of hosting the 2008 Orangeburg Idol event in just a few weeks. "We are very encouraged we got the award last year. We expect to take this year's Orangeburg Idol to a whole new level. We have outstanding talent."

Tribble said the event brought people together.

"We had great participation from the community," Tribble said. "I think we produced a good event."

The funds from the Orangeburg Idol program will be used to purchase property that will be developed into downtown parking.

The Main Street Outstanding Promotional Award is not the first the city has received.

* 1998 -- Taste of Orangeburg

* 1999 -- "The Magic of the Millennium"

* 2000 -- Cousin DORA's Lawn Mower Race

* 2006 -- Ferse's 5&10 100th anniversary celebration

Main Street South Carolina is a program of the Municipal Association of South Carolina.

The program aims to assist citizens to gain the knowledge, skills, tools and organizational structure needed to revitalize their downtowns, neighborhood commercial districts and cities or towns into centers of commerce and community.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories at TheTandD.com.

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