Office: 937-462-8822
Dispatch: 937-328-2560
Emergency: 911
Hours of Operation: 24/7
Mission Statement
The South Charleston Police Department serves an ever expanding, continuously changing community of approximately 1,850 residents. The Police Department employs a Chief, Sergeant, and six part-time officers. The Police Department also maintains an auxiliary program that commissions up to twelve sworn police officers. The Police Department is housed in the Town Hall building located at 35 S. Chillicothe Street in South Charleston, Ohio.
The primary goal of our Police Department is to promote a sense of safety and quality life in South Charleston. Both Collectively and individually, our Police Department is deeply concerned for our residents and visitors. Our Police Department maintains an atmosphere of professionalism through officer training, updated operational policy, and open communication with its citizenry. We strive to serve our residents and visitors with respect, loyalty, and fairness.
Village of South Charleston Ordinances
Police Services
Green River Ordinance G
The Green River Ordinance is enforced in the Village of South Charleston. Under this ordinance, it is illegal for any business to sell their items or services door-to-door without permission from the household beforehand. The ordinance is named for the city of Green River, Wyoming, which was the first city to enact it in 1931. If you suspect someone is selling their services or items door-to-door, please contact the South Charleston Police Department (937.328.2560) and report the activity. If possible, try to obtain a vehicle description and a license plate number. In some cases, the solicitor will be on foot. If this happens,please be prepared to provide a physical description. This will assist our officers in locating the solicitor. Once located, our officers will verify the solicitor's credentials and advise them that this activity is not permitted within the village limits. A citation or summons may also be issued to the solicitor for violating the Green River Ordinance.
Be
Careful…
With nicer weather and Daylight Savings Time come people of all ages
enjoying the out of doors. If you are a driver, remember that children
will be outside playing and riding bicycles; please be vigilant because
small children will not. If you are a pedestrian, please stay alert to
all kinds of vehicular traffic.
Take
Responsibility and be a Good Neighbor…
Ordinance #98-2 requires pet owners to clean up after their domestic
animals. If you walk your dog, please take along a plastic bag so that
you can pick up the dog’s “business” and
dispose of it properly when you return home. Owners of cats have the
same responsibility; please provide a litter box for your cats outside
the house as well as inside so that they do not use the
neighbor’s flower garden or sandbox. People who do not have
pets or who are commercial property owners become particularly
frustrated with irresponsible pet owners. Be a considerate neighbor/pet
owner wherever you are and at all times. Refusal to do so constitutes a
minor misdemeanor.
Ordinance #70-5 prohibits property owners from allowing animals and
dogs to run at large, dogs to howl and bark or create offensive odors
and unsanitary conditions, and from allowing animals of any kind to
graze on their own property or on another’s property. Do not
let your dogs run free. Keep them chained or fenced in your own yard
and clean up after them. If you leave your dog out at night, listen to
see if it is barking. You may be sleeping peacefully with your windows
down and the air conditioner cranked up while your neighbor suffers
through another hot, sleepless night because of your barking dog. Be a
considerate neighbor/pet owner. Any individual refusing to do so will
be fined a maximum of $200 and/or imprisoned a maximum of 30 days.
Nuisance Abatement
Year-round
– but especially during the warmer months – our
police officers check local properties to make sure owners are taking
proper care of several basic but critical property maintenance issues.
When we find violations, we contact the property owners to make sure
they address these issues. This is known as “nuisance
abatement.” Nuisances include grass and weeds that are not
cut regularly, unlicensed or inoperable automobiles, campers, boats or
other similar items parked in the open, and trash or refuse that is not
cleaned-up. Our nuisance abatement officers will cite into
Mayor’s Court any property owners who are in non-compliance.
Our nuisance abatement officer gives only one warning before issuing
this citation.
If you received a notice last year for inadequately caring for your
grass, vehicles or trash, you will be receiving a friendly reminder
this spring to address these potential problems before they get out of
hand. Please be a responsible property owner and do not create a need
for Village police officers to site you into mayor’s court.
Thoughts
on Winter Safety from the South Charleston Police Department
It’s no secret that tempers run short through the holidays,
especially when we find ourselves fighting snowy streets slowed by
un-anticipated problems. But seasonal stress is no excuse for
careless driving. DRIVERS MUST YIELD TO EMERGENCY VEHICLES,
and that includes ambulances, snowplows, fire trucks and police
vehicles. Please, when tempers run high and patience runs
out, take a deep breath and remember that arriving a few minutes later
is better than becoming involved in an accident and not arriving at all.
Also, beware of leaving your car running with the doors
unlocked. We appreciate that getting into and driving a cold
car on a frigid morning is no fun; many folks like to start the car to
warm it up a few minutes before leaving home. Sometimes folks
run into a store briefly to pick up pizza or a hot coffee and leave the
car running in the parking lot. We encourage you to think
twice before doing this as it makes you and your car and anyone or
anything you have in the car an easy target for thieves. If
you feel you must warm your car before leaving home, use an extra set
of keys to lock the doors while it is running. Never leave
your car running in a parking lot, even if just for a very short period
of time. Do not leave the keys anywhere in your car
overnight. Lock the doors to your home at night and any time
during the day when you are gone.