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
Richland County Sheriff’s Department K-9s celebrate Valentine’s Day By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Kobe, Kane, and Rudy want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day! The three Belgian Malinois wearing Valentines scarves are K-9s with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). The department fields 17-18 trained K-9s – two single-serviceContinue Reading
By Marie Waldrop TEN YEARS AGO, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott established the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) Reserve Deputy Program to add needed personnel resources to patrol units. Today, the men and women who serve the citizens of Richland County in this Reserve capacity have full-time jobs in otherContinue Reading
Richland County Sheriff’s Department lead agency in drill By W. Thomas Smith Jr. A multi-agency drill led by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RSCD) and simulating an active shooter scenario with mass casualties was conducted on the campus of Columbia International University, Tuesday, Dec. 14. Utilizing the nationally standardized IncidentContinue Reading
By W. Thomas Smith Jr. As if being named National Sheriff of the Year 2021 and S.C. Sheriff of the Year 2021 were not enough, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott has earned a new title: The S.C. State Fair’s Boiled Peanut Eating Champion 2021. “This was the second annual boiledContinue Reading
By W. Thomas Smith Jr. United States Senator Tim Scott, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, praised Project H.O.P.E., a program of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD), as a model for elderly outreach and assistance which might be implemented by other agencies, nationwide. Scott’s remarksContinue Reading
By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Two Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) deputies received Eastminster Presbyterian Church’s Servant Leadership award during ceremonies which also awarded members of the Columbia Police Department, the Forest Acres Police Department, and the Richland County Emergency Medical Services, Sun., Sept. 12. Like all of the recipients,Continue Reading
By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Last week, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. (RCSD) Major Maria Yturria, and yours truly received signed coffee mugs from the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The NYPD mugs were a token of thanks to RCSD, and they were presented inContinue Reading