“The last seven months have not been normal.” Newly-elected Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano commented on her experiences as Sheriff at the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook’s meeting August 4. After having been elected as the first woman Sheriff in South Carolina, Sheriff Graziano has confronted an all-time high in gun violence in Charleston County, a crisis at the county detention facility that exposed “disturbing patterns of abuse” and increases in automobile fatalities and drug overdoses. “It’s a difficult time to be a cop.” Graziano said.
In spite of the challenges, Sheriff Graziano says that being elected Sheriff was the highest honor of her career, which is saying a great deal. She is a 2015 recipient of the Medal of Valor from the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association and a 2011 President’s Award from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association.
Sheriff Graziano’s message was clear: we need to work together as a community to help solve the problems we’re facing in the Lowcountry. While she accepts full responsibility for her role as Sheriff and has incorporated changes to help improve the quality of service provided by the Sheriff’s department, it has to be a joint effort of all the citizens and constituencies in the Lowcountry to continue to improve the quality of life for all citizens in Charleston County.
-Submitted by Thad Peterson, Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club