By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott publicly declared the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) a Purple Heart Law Enforcement Agency during a veterans gathering and ceremony with Purple Heart recipients and their families at RCSD headquarters, Friday, May 27. Held three days before Memorial Day inContinue Reading

Undercover investigators recently arrested 11 men as part of an operation earlier this month targeting potential sexual predators trying to contact children for sexual activity. “We, along with the Lexington Police Department and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, served as the host agencies for this operation,” Lexington County SheriffContinue Reading

Additional law enforcement officers were added at Newberry High School while students returned to in-person classes last Tuesday. Four teenagers were killed by gunfire over the weekend which prompted the Newberry County School District to hold virtual classes on Monday as a precaution. As students returned to classes two additionalContinue Reading

Lexington County Sheriff Bryan “Jay” Koon was honored by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers’ Association (SCLEOA) and the Strom Thurmond Foundation at the annual Strom Thurmond Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement Luncheon on May 11. The event was held at the Lexington Town Hall. About 100 state, local,Continue Reading

RCSD becomes first law enforcement agency nationwide to make peace officer promise By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) publicly pledged “to do no harm” to the communities they serve during a press conference held at the Law Enforcement MemorialContinue Reading

By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) Deputy Sarah Merriman received the United States Attorney General’s DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN COMMUNITY POLICING award during ceremonies at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, Thursday, April 21. As such, Merriman is the first law enforcement officerContinue Reading

A vacationer from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania lost his life while boating on Lake Murray. Egar Hofe, 78, was reported missing after he went overboard Monday morning around 11:15 am near Buffalo Creek and Grant Williams Estate. According to SCDNR, his body was recovered around 3 pm that afternoon. Rescue divers usedContinue Reading