Press conference addresses the good and not-so-good in terms of criminal activity over the previous year
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott held a first-of-the-year press conference, January 6, addressing countywide crime trends – the good and the not so good – going into 2026.
Lott opened with a question he’s often asked: “Is it really that bad? Is crime totally out of control?” His answer: “No it’s not [out of control]. We just hear more about it, and it’s publicized more, which is a good thing because it makes people more aware.”
Beginning with the “numbers,” Lott said, “Numbers are cold. These are people’s lives,” he said. “These are people who have lost their lives, people who are in jail, people who have become victims of crime.”
HOMICIDE NUMBERS
Regarding the numbers, the good news is Richland County murders are down by “one” point when compared with the number of murders in 2024. There were, in fact, 26 murders committed in Richland County in 2025, with 27 in 2024, and 23 in 2023. There were also 37 suspects arrested for murder in 2025 with murder victims ranging in age from 16 to 78.
“That’s a total of 63 families negatively impacted,” said Lott. “That’s not good.”
THE POSITIVE NEWS?
Though Lott downplays the word, “positive” in any discussion of homicides and other violent crimes, he pointed to the fact that the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) has not experienced a single unsolved murder in three consecutive years – from the beginning of 2023 trough the end of 2025.
Lott said, “it’s rare” that an agency the size of RCSD operating in a metropolitan area as vast as Columbia and Richland County is able to solve that many murders in a single year, but three years running is a testament to several effective crime-solving elements employed by RCSD.
THREE YEARS RUNNING
“We are so dedicated to bringing justice to the families and to the victims,” Lott said. “I think we sometimes lose sight of that, and that’s very important. We have solved every murder for three years: How? It’s a combination.”
Lott points first to responding deputies who process and secure (protect) the scene of the crime. Secondly, RCSD investigators arrive and begin their meticulous investigative (detective) work.
TEAMWORK AND TECHNOLOGY
“It’s a team effort,” said Lott. “It’s not one or two investigators assigned to a case like you might see on TV.”
The team – everybody who represents different sections of the Sheriff’s Department – gathers together and shares information. Tasks are assigned, and it’s all done very quickly. “You then bring technology into that,” says Lott. “Technology has improved so much over the course of my career. We’re doing things now that no one would have imagined 50 years ago.”
Lott adds: “Our forensics laboratory has been opened since 2002. “We don’t have to rely on somebody else,” said Lott. “We can take evidence from a crime scene [process it] and in a short period of time, we have the results we need.”
RCSD’s forensics lab is second to none and was the first to open after the state’s SLED lab opened years ago.
COMMUNITY IS KEY
“Community plays a huge part,” said Lott. “We’ve worked so hard over the years to build trust with the community. They trust us, We trust them. The community doesn’t hesitate to call and give us information.”
OTHER CRIMES
As regards other crimes: Sexual assaults were down nearly six percent with 69 sexual assault cases reported in 2025 and 73 such cases in 2024. Numbers of robberies remained the same with 137 cases reported in 2025 and 137 reported in 2024.
