COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina Department of Public Safety held a ceremony today honoring seven law enforcement officers for Meritorious Service to the State of South Carolina.
Representatives from law enforcement agencies and associations presented a narrative of the award winners at the ceremony.
Nominees for this honor must have a proven record of excellence that is manifestly outstanding, especially to South Carolina law enforcement as a whole. They must have 25 years minimum of law enforcement service. The nominees can be nominated posthumously and cannot currently be employed by a law enforcement agency or have been employed in the past five years.
“We are honored to again recognize this outstanding group of law enforcement professionals and ensure that their legacy of service is preserved in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame,” said SCDPS Director Leroy Smith, who also chairs the SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame Advisory Committee. “Their leadership and vision have contributed to safer communities and a stronger law enforcement community in South Carolina.”
The recipients’ names will be permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame, and names will be added each year representing the “best” in leadership and service in South Carolina law enforcement.
The SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame was created by an act of the SC General Assembly in 1974. That act established the Hall of Fame’s mission as both honoring South Carolina officers who have died in the line of duty and honoring officers in the day-to-day performance of their duties. The Hall of Fame enabling legislation also established an advisory committee to determine who would be honored at the Hall of Fame and authorized that “Any officer whose continued record of excellence over a period of years is manifestly outstanding may be elected to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame by the advisory committee.”
This year’s inductees included:
Col. Philip L. Meek, South Carolina Highway Patrol
Lt. Millard N. Cate, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)
Chief Robert M. Stewart, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)
Sheriff David Stone, Pickens County Sheriff’s Office
Chief Reuben Greenberg, Charleston Police Dept.
Chief Ralph Porter, Florence Police Dept.
G.S. “Bert” Friday, Director, Jail and Prison Inspections Division,
SC Department of Corrections
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety 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. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.