Isle of Palms Winter-Spring 2018-19

9 www.IsleOfPalmsMagazine.com | www.ILoveIOP.com | www.IOPmag.com I nterim Police Chief Kim Usry brings her SUV to a stop near a quiet intersection where two women have returned from a day of boogie- boarding at the beach, only to be confused by an orange parking ticket attached to their windshield. The chief points to a “No Parking” sign 10 yards or so away. They insist, apparently incorrectly, that they thought parking was forbidden only up to the edge of a nearby fence. Usry suggests that they take the issue to court. Not long after, she comes across a couple of 30-somethings enjoying adult beverages in a golf cart on the shoulder of Palm Boulevard. She reminds them about the open-container law, politely asks them to pour what’s left of their beer on the ground and wishes them a safe trip home. During the same 45-minute drive through town, the chief chats with a family getting ready for Halloween; exchanges pleasantries with a couple visiting from Pennsylvania; commiserates with a local resident who might soon have to put his dog down; chats with a woman from nearby Mount Pleasant; and stops to make sure everything is OK with a mom in an SUV stopped along the side of Ocean Boulevard. As it turns out, she’s trying to get a couple of toddlers in the back seat to settle down. “No more sugar for them today,” the chief warns, then moves on. Welcome to Isle of Palms, the safest place to live in South Carolina and maybe the friendliest as well. IOP was cited as the safest city in South Carolina in 2018 by Safewise, a website that provides feedback about safety- related products and services. The distinction was based on information gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which showed that IOP did not have a single violent crime in 2016. Other Lowcountry municipalities on the list included Surfside Beach at No. 3, Mount Pleasant at No. 6, Hanahan at No. 11 and Charleston at No. 20. According to Mayor Jimmy Carroll, much of the credit for IOP’s sterling safety record belongs to Usry. A 21-year veteran of the IOP Police Department, she started in dispatch, served as the accreditation manager and took over as interim chief in April 2018, replacing Tommy Buckhannon, who held the position for 37 years. Usry said the department’s connection with local residents is a key reason IOP’s crime rate is the lowest in the state. “Our guys are visible out on the road. We want the bad guys to see us,” she commented. “And people around here just get along.” Photos by Brian Sherman. South Carolina’s Safest and Friend liest Town Isle of Palms By Brian Sherman IOP Interim Police Chief Kim Usry talks with Mayor Jimmy Carroll.