Springdale Police Chief Cornett leaving to take a position on the coast

Springdale, SC (Paul Kirby) – The Town of Springdale’s police chief Kevin Cornett is leaving the department at the end of the month. He will be taking the position of chief of police with the Isle of Palms Police Department near Charleston, SC. His last day will be May 29, 2019. He informed his mayor and council Monday and met with his department’s staff Tuesday.

Chief Cornett has been incredibly successful while in Springdale. His attitude toward community policing has been contagious. The men and women of the department have caught the bug and not only patrol the streets but are always on the lookout for ways to impact the community in positive ways, before crime occurred. He has often used innovative approaches and partnerships to reduce crime with the schools, churches, neighborhoods, and even the businesses in the town. Cornett once said regarding solutions for reducing the occurrence of criminal activity at motels in the town’s jurisdiction, “We can’t arrest our way out of these problems. We will have to partner with these business owners to improve them in several ways. When necessary, we will make arrest, but we are going to explore other solutions as well.” Since making that statement, several of those properties have been renovated and are drawing a clientele that cause fewer law enforcement responses overall.

Cornett could be found answering calls on the streets at times and doing somersaults with children later that same day. He was often seen at the area’s schools and implemented a successful National Night Out as well as other innovative programs.

Cornett came to Springdale from the City of Columbia PD. He started his career there and worked his way up through the ranks to become a supervisor in narcotics.

Cornett said Tuesday that leaving Springdale was bittersweet. “I have so many fond memories of Springdale, its leaders and citizens. I also have a great team I am leaving here that are just a wonderful bunch of professionals,” he said Tuesday morning by phone. “We bought a home in Springdale and it has made a wonderful place to live. We’ll miss this town and a part of our hearts will always be here,” he concluded.