COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame held an induction ceremony today to recognize six officers for their outstanding contributions to law enforcement in South Carolina.
The first ceremony recognizing officers for meritorious achievement was held in October 2017, and since then, there have been 34 officers inducted into the SC Hall of Fame for excellence in law enforcement.
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 may be nominated posthumously. The nominees cannot currently be employed by a law enforcement agency or have been employed in the past five years.
SCDPS Director Robert G. Woods, IV is chair of the SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame Advisory Committee.
“The men that we honor today have brought esteem to the law enforcement profession in South Carolina through their dedication to duty and commitment to service,” Woods said. “Their names will be permanently displayed in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame to ensure they are rightfully honored for their service and commitment to our state.”
Representatives from law enforcement agencies and associations presented a narrative of the award winners at the ceremony.
Photos from today's ceremony can be found on the DPS Flickr Album here.
This year’s inductees include:
Captain J. Leon Gasque, Jr.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
Division Director Kenneth D. McKellar
SC Department of Corrections
Lt. Randal Ford
South Carolina Highway Patrol
Sheriff James E. Singleton
Oconee County Sheriff’s Office
Chief Harold C. Jennings
Greenville Police Department
Captain Charles T. Cabaniss
Rock Hill Police Department
The recipients’ names will be permanently displayed in the SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame, 5400 Broad River Road, and each year, names will be added 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.”
Today’s ceremony was livestreamed on SCDPS Facebook: www.facebook.com/scdps.pio and YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheSCDPS pages.
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, 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.