Multifaceted social problems require thoughtful and comprehensive solutions. The L. Anthony Sutin Award for Innovative Law Enforcement and Community Partnerships recognizes the efforts of innovative and sustained law enforcement and community partnerships whose unique collaborations have transformed public safety in their communities. Sometimes, those partnerships span decades. In 1998, six individuals in Lancaster County, South Carolina, came together to form The Partnership to address problem youth behaviors including substance abuse, delinquency, violence, teen pregnancy, and gang affiliation. Under the leadership of Sheriff Barry Faile, The Partnership has expanded to more than 40 organizations including law enforcement, religious institutions, social institutions, mental health and social service providers, and educational institutions. After an initial decade marked by measurable reductions in targeted problems and expanded membership, the scope of work broadened to address two key concerns: (1) opioid misuse and (2) increased crime related to the sale of drugs.

First, data related to both overdose and increased crime related to the sale of drugs led the coalition to address the impact of opioid misuse among adults (especially senior citizens, veterans, people with disabilities, and low-income populations). When the opioid epidemic exploded throughout the nation, Sherriff Faile helped form Operation Significant Impact, bringing together his staff, the Emergency Medical Services department, the coroner, drug courts, and local treatment providers. Actions taken included home visits following every nonfatal overdose, community outreach to highlight the availability of treatment, a diversion program for nonviolent drug related offenses into treatment, and distribution of NARCAN (naloxone) to prevent fatalities.

Second, the result from a community needs assessment that included 20 community forums, archival data collection, 28,000 household surveys, and discussion with behavioral health authorities led to a focus on two local high poverty census tracts, now a Federally Recognized Opportunity Zone. The Partnership is currently collecting crime data by location, creating a database of environmental features that include every school, day care center, recreational facility, park, and business in the county and incorporating research from Rutgers University as to how these environmental features interact and align with local crime patterns. In addition, The Partnership is currently implementing a $25 million grant, replicating the nationally recognized Harlem Children's Zone, which has had a profound impact on health, education, and public safety.

From left to right: Heather Mueller, Co-Chair of the Coalition for Healthy Youth, COPS Office Deputy Director Robert Chapman, and Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile at the L. Anthony Sutin Award Ceremony on March 14, 2024. Photo courtesy of WSOC-TV.

The Partnership never lost its initial focus on youth, and recent initiatives include Project Knock-Knock (2017–2020), an innovative approach to curbing youth drinking. Over the course of a year, deputies conducted home visits to every 12th grade student in the county (914 in total) to discuss underage drinking and parental host laws. This strategy produced a statistically significant 22 percent decline in 30-day drinking and a 23 percent decrease in binge drinking. These results have been published in the Journal of Drug Education.

The Sutin Award was presented to Barry Faile, Lancaster County Sheriff; Heather Mueller, Co-Chair of the Coalition for Healthy Youth; and their teams at the University of South Carolina Lancaster on March 14, 2024. The L. Anthony Sutin Award for Innovative Law Enforcement and Community Partnerships is bestowed on partnerships in which law enforcement is actively engaged with the community in a multifaceted manner that has been sustained over time and has resulted in positive, observable public safety outcomes or advances in public trust. The award is named in memory of Tony Sutin, who served as a founder and Deputy Director of the COPS Office from its creation in 1994 until 1996. After serving as the Principal Deputy to the Associate Attorney General of the United States, then as acting Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, he joined the faculty of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia in 1999. He quickly became dean and served in that capacity until his untimely death on January 16, 2002.

Images courtesy of Partners for Youth and WSOC-TV.

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