Award winning sergeant protects Forest Acres
Photo and story by John Dixon

Forest Acres Community Resource Officer Sergeant Lori Tumlin wins award for Most Innovative Crime Prevention Program.

Forest Acres Community Resource Officer Sergeant Lori Tumlin takes her job and community very seriously. Tumlin has been working with the Forest Acres Police Department since 1997. After moving from Florence, she bought a house and a dog, and never considered moving anywhere else.

Tumlin has a sixmonth old son and looks forward to raising him in Forest Acres. She majored in English at Francis Marion University with a minor in sociology. She also studied mass communication and secondary education. She graduated with a BA degree and went to Darlington Tec where she received a degree in criminal justice.

While working on her criminal justice degree, Tumlin worked internships with the Florence Police Department and the Florence County Sheriff 's Department. Afterwards she worked as a contractual agent for the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Tumlin has always enjoyed helping others and working at public events, which is ideal because her favorite part of Forest Acres is the citizens. Her job of Community Resource Officer includes attending community events and meetings whenever requested, finger printing applicants for jobs such as teachers, insurance agents, and anyone in the elderly care profession.

Tumlin is also a certified instructor through the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy and is a TASER instructor. She also maintains Forest Acres' Contact Care Program, serves as first vice president for the South Carolina State Association of Crime Prevention Officers, maintains the training records for the officers, teaches safety programs for daycares, garden clubs, churches, and any other groups that request a program.

Another part of Tumlin's job is assisting the citizens and department with speeding issues such as utilizing the traffic trailer and stealth stat.

Tumlin finds the people she works with to be the most enjoyable part of her job and trying to find absolute answers to problems to be the most difficult. She has won numerous awards for her work with neighborhood associations and crime prevention efforts.

Tumlin puts 100% effort into whatever she does. It is obvious that she takes great pride in her community. In her opinion Forest Acres is a great place to live and work. She says, "I see Forest Acres remaining a lively, family oriented community. We are already seeing more young families moving into the city. It is a great place to raise kids."