joe babkiewicz

Before being hired as Bluffton’s Police Chief, Joe Babkiewicz worked his way up from patrolman to captain. He took a year-long sabbatical in the private sector but was hired by the town at the end of last year to help build the community’s faith and trust in those here to serve and protect. Babkiewicz has 20 years of experience in law enforcement.

Q: What’s it like being back?

A: It’s such a great feeling to come back to the organization that I’ve been a part of for 14 years. At the time one of the hardest things to do was step away from this job, because the only job I’ve ever held outside of being in the military is in law enforcement. The step away (into the private sector) gave me an insight into looking at this organization from the outside. The company I worked for has been rated one of the top 100 places to work in the country, year after year after year. I kind of took note of what they did and some things that I can bring back to this organization so that we can be one of those top agencies in America where people want to come to and work.

Q: Anyone who’s been a part of an organization long enough has their list of “things I would do if I were in charge.” Now that you are, what’s been on yours?

A: The No. 1 priority is to have an opportunity to listen to every single one of my officers, to get an insight into how they feel about the organization; where do they want to move it or how they want to see it moving forward. We have some very young officers, and we have some officers who have been here for a while. It was really a mixed batch of information that came in, but it gave me a good idea that our next step is going to be creating a strategic plan. Using some of the information that they brought forward, we will focus on in our strategic plan.

Q: What’s the timeline on that?

A: Our next step is to establish a steering committee to get insight from everybody. We want to have representatives from all ranks and all divisions as well as some external people. We’re going to put out an external survey soon, basically asking the same questions that I asked the officers. I’m hoping to have a strategic plan in place no later than May or June, after everything is said and done.

Q: What do you hope will be the signature stamp you put on the role of chief?

A: I want the culture of this department to be seen and viewed as a department focused on serving our community. You know the ‘protect’ side of law enforcement is always there, but people tend to forget the ‘servant’ side of law enforcement, you know? And that’s truly 80 to 90% of what we do. I want to be known as that person — that chief that sets the tone here for that.

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Bluffton Inducts Jacob Martin Into Wall Of Honor

Jacob Martin, who has been a community leader for decades, was inducted into the Town of Bluffton’s Wall of Honor. The event recognized Martin’s time as an educator and administrator.

After living in the Midwest, Jacob and his wife, Ida, returned to Bluffton in 1979 where ministry to others was their way of life. Active in Campbell Chapel AME Church, their giving-spirit started in church and extended throughout the community.

Jacob’s public service career spans decades. He was a police officer in Detroit, Michigan and a police chief in Waukegan, Illinois.

Later, he taught government/ economics at McCracken High School in Bluffton and retired as a district office administrator after 23 years of service.

Martin also served as a municipal court judge for the Town of Bluffton from 1992-1995.

The Bluffton-Hilton Head Island Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committees honored him with a 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award for his public service career and his volunteer activities, including 28 years with Hilton Head Island’s Meals-on-Wheels program.

He also supported his wife Ida’s contributions. She founded Bluffton Self Help, Inc., and the Bluffton Community Soup Kitchen. She was named to the Wall of Honor in 2012.

The Town named its park on Boundary Street “The Martin Family Park,” in 2021.

MAJOR PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD:

The New Riverside Barn Park Project in Bluffton held a groundbreaking earlier this year, the next step in the anticipated project. The park, which will be the town’s first park in the New Riverside section of Bluffton, is 37 acres and is located at the intersection of Highways 46 and 170. The park will feature large open spaces, perimeter trails, a large playground for diverse ages, as well as the 2,700 squarefoot iconic barn. This passive park and its barn have the potential to host private and large-scale public events.

Bluffton also held a rehabilitation construction kickoff for the Squire Pope Carriage House at Wright Family Park in February. The Squire Pope Carriage House has been stabilized and the rehabilitation work will begin in March. This house, which has weathered more than 150 years of Bluffton’s history, will be designed for future use as a Visitors Center. The Squire Pope Carriage House survived the “1863 Burning of Bluffton” during the Civil War and was a private residence for decades.

BLUFFTON POLICE OFFICER INJURED IN COLLISION:

Bluffton Police Department Officer Frank Ginn Jr. was injured in January after a headon collision on Highway 170 westbound. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries, but the town of Bluffton said his injuries will potentially require several months of rehabilitation. Ginn was on his way to work when the collision occurred.

Ginn celebrated his third anniversary with the Bluffton Police Department Jan. 2. South Carolina Highway Patrol arrested a Beaufort male suspect in connection with the accident, according to a news release.

BLUFFTON AWARDS FIRST HISTORIC PRESERVATION GRANT:

The Town of Bluffton awarded its first Historic Preservation Grant to the Historic Bluffton Foundation for exterior renovations to the Heyward House on Boundary Street. The $20,000 grant will help cover the cost of the project. The Historic Preservation Grant Program is available to owners of “Contributing Resources” to the Old Town Bluffton Historic District to financially assist in the preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation of these structures with the intention that they will continue to represent the history of Bluffton. For more information, contact Glen Umberger, the Town’s historic preservationist at gumberger@townofbluffton.com

COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE REVIEWING BANNED BOOKS:

The Beaufort County School District’s Library Materials Review committees were established last fall. The book review committees read assigned books, discussed them with committee members and report findings to the school board and superintendent. Per state guidelines, the committees consist of a district teacher familiar with the content or grade level, a school librarian, a school administrator, a parent (other than the complainant), a community member, a district-level administrator, and a member of a School Improvement Council in the district. The committees are randomly selected.

The most recent decision saw the school board vote 7-2-1 to uphold the committees’ decisions to return nine books to the shelves. The next review of 10 books by the committees was set for

Feb. 16 (after our deadline). Overall, 97 books were removed from the shelves and will undergo review.

HILTON HEAD WILL BUY LAND ON JONESVILLE ROAD:

Hilton Head Island Town Council voted unanimously to purchase three parcels located at 200, 224 and 234 Jonesville Road, which will cost $7.6 million. The parcels are situated between The Paddocks and Graham Lane and are a total of 12.019 acres.

“This Council is committed to managing growth. When we learned of the opportunity to purchase this property, we took decisive action to remove it from the threat of immediate development,” said Mayor Alan Perry in a news release.

HILTON HEAD PREP ANNOUNCES BAKALA SCHOLARS PROGRAM:

Hilton Head Preparatory School has launched the Bakala Scholars Program, a competitive merit scholarship designed to attract students from throughout the community. The scholarship offers recipients the opportunity to receive up to the full cost of tuition for each year they attend Hilton Head Prep through graduation. The program is open to students in both middle and upper school. For more information, call 843671-2286 or email admissions@hhprep. org.