Who We Are

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) includes the Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, Immigration Enforcement Unit and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame.

SCDPS has approximately 1,300 employees serving across the state, providing a wide range of public safety services focused on making South Carolina a safer place to live, work and raise a family.

Mission

As the largest law enforcement agency in the state, it is the mission of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety to protect and serve the public with the highest standard of conduct and professionalism; to save lives through educating  the citizens of South Carolina on highway safety and diligent enforcement of laws governing traffic, motor vehicles, commercial carriers, and immigration; to provide protective services for government officials, state government properties, and the general public visiting these properties; and to ensure a safe, secure environment for the citizens of the state of South Carolina and its visitors.

Vision

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s vision is to ensure that this agency is setting the standard for public safety excellence as a cohesive team by making South Carolina a safer place to live, work, and visit through protection, education, and service. Embedded within SCDPS’ efforts and initiatives to serve the public are the agency’s core values: Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Leadership.

CALEA Accreditation

The Department of Public Safety received its initial accreditation in 1998, and is the largest law enforcement agency in the state to receive this prestigious recognition. Since then, the Department of Public Safety has continually maintained its accredited status, and in November 2013 was awarded Accreditation with Excellence along with the Meritorious Award through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), Inc. 

The accreditation process benefits our officers, as well as civilian personnel by strengthening training, enhancing officer safety, decreasing agency liability, and ensuring uniformity in our hiring practices. The distinction as an internationally accredited agency strengthens the confidence of stakeholders and the communities we serve in our ability to professionally deliver services. 

CALEA was created in 1979 to develop a set of law enforcement standards and to establish and administer an accreditation process through which law enforcement agencies could demonstrate voluntarily that they meet professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery. 

Learn more about: the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.