Two Lexington County towns continue to work toward getting their own police department, while the state Law Enforcement Division continues to use one of the town’s former schools as a training site.

The Town of Gilbert started the process of establishing its own police department in 2022, with the idea being to create a shared department with the nearby Town of Summit, both of which are currently covered by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

The two towns are separated by less than a mile, with Gilbert having a population of 571 and Summit with 423, according to census.gov.

Gilbert passed an ordinance to make way for the department in March 2022.

At that time, Gilbert named former Pelion Police Chief Chris Gardner as the chief of the future department. According to Gilbert Mayor John Reeder, Gardner is still tabbed to take the job, currently serving as a consultant in the building of the department and has been tasked with writing a policy and procedures manual.

“He’s put in countless hours into getting us started,” Reeder said. “Between he and the Snell Law Firm in Lexington, the town is now in good shape for the next steps.”

“Of course they’re baby steps. A lot more has to be done,” he added.

The town also purchased a police car around the time it passed the ordinance.

Reeder shared that the town is currently in the process of finding more ways to obtain funding, telling the Chronicle that the Snell Law Firm is helping them search for opportunities. The mayor shared that as a mayor and citizen of the town, he would prefer not to place a tax on the people.

The mayor reiterated that the police department would be housed in the current town hall, located at 345 Hampton St., with the new town hall expected to be established at a former bank building across the street.

Brett Reeder Construction offered to help the town acquire permits and set up labor to restore the old bank building for free as a donation to the community. The town would only be responsible for paying the labor fees.

Turning to another recent law enforcement development in Gilbert, SLED continues to use a former elementary school for active shooter training.

Plans to use the site to train law enforcement from outside the state continue to be considered, which could create new opportunities for the town.

Reeder told the Chronicle that he has expressed interest in other portions of the old school facility being used for other purposes that could benefit the community, mentioning the athletic fields, gym, classrooms, parking lot and cafeteria.

He said they have discussed using color-coded flags to inform residents about when the school is accessible for the community and when no activity is permitted there.

“As a former police officer myself, with the city of Batesburg-Leesville, I think it’s a great opportunity for building excellence and providing a genuine platform to train officers for school shooter response,” Reeder said.