By W. Thomas Smith Jr. FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) was out in force ringing the bell (sometimes singing and dancing) for the Salvation Army of the Midlands, all shifts, all day, at both entrances to Walmart in northeast Columbia, Thursday, Dec.Continue Reading
Discussions range from family to recruiting to fitness By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott welcomed Brig. General Jason E. Kelly, U.S. Army, to Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) headquarters in Columbia for an informal meeting between the two senior chiefs, Tuesday, Oct. 25. Among the discussionContinue Reading
Parents, teachers, and students overwhelmed by speed and precision of RCSD response By W. Thomas Smith Jr. In the wake of “a report of shots fired” hoax at Blythewood High School earlier this month in which deputies from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RSCD) responded in less than two minutes;Continue Reading
Predawn PT with the sheriff is an annual event By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott kicked-off his 69 th birthday the same way hecelebrates October 3 every year – with a challenging predawn workout at the RichlandCounty Sheriff’s Department’s (RCSD) Crossfit Gym in Forest Acres: NotContinue Reading
Eight recipients from five agencies honored by church on Servant Leader Sunday By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) Investigator Molly Nations and RCSD Corporal Keegan Gilbert both received SERVANT LEADERSHIP AWARDs from Columbia’s Eastminster Presbyterian Church following a special awards luncheon, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, theContinue Reading
How the Richland County Sheriff’s Department continues to lead from the front By W. Thomas Smith Jr. I’ve frequently written about specific historic FIRSTS achieved by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) in terms of law enforcement, community outreach, security and protection of those serving within our department: Everything fromContinue Reading
Award is the namesake of the late Milton Kimpson By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and Columbia Police Chief William H. “Skip” Holbrook both received the MILTON KIMPSON COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD for 2022 during the 58th-annual awards presentation luncheon hosted by the Greater Columbia Community RelationsContinue Reading
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
Captain Vincent Goggins graduates from the FBI National Academy By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) Captain Vincent Goggins joined a truly elite corps of law enforcement officers nationwide – even within his own RCSD – when he graduated from the Quantico, VA-based FBI National Academy earlierContinue 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
Why the Richland County Sheriff’s Department is an ELITE law enforcement agency By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Countless law enforcement agencies have achieved fame and notoriety over the previous 100-plus years. High-profile criminal cases have led to the renown of many, as has the sheer number of police departments, sheriff’sContinue Reading