The Darlington Police Department was established in 1865 for the purpose of providing law enforcement services to the residents of the City of Darlington (population 2,500). Today, the department is comprised of five full-time officers and two part-time officers who provide 24-hour police services to the city and handle roughly 3,000 incidents per year. The department is committed to the philosophy of problem-oriented policing whereby officers place considerable value in responses that are preventive in nature, rather than reactive, and that engage other public agencies, the community, and the private sector in addressing concerns before they become problems.