Last time we were introduced to the Peace Officer concept by Lisa Broderick, who leads Police2Peace. Today we learn from Sheriff Lott of Richland County how he’s implementing the Peace Officer program and what impact it’s had.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott leads one of the largest sheriff’s departments in the
southeastern United States. Often referred to as “America’s Law Enforcement Agency,” the
near 1,000-employee Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. (RCSD) is one of the regularly featured
law-enforcement agencies on the A&E television series LIVE PD, and is the only which has
been with the program since it first aired in Oct. 2016. Sheriff Lott is a 43-year career law
enforcement officer who has served as the Sheriff of Richland County for more than 20 years.
Recognized as “one of the most creatively innovative, bridge-building law enforcement leaders
in the nation, even internationally,” in 2010 Lott traveled to Erbil, Iraq at the invitation of the
Iraqi government to help that war-torn country establish its first-ever female police academy.
RCSD continues its strong relationship and an officer exchange program with Iraq, as it does
with other foreign law enforcement agencies, as well as U.S. military forces domestically.
Under Lott’s leadership, RCSD was the first law enforcement agency in the nation to establish a
pre-PTSD conditioning program for deputies and other officers. This training is mandatory for
all RCSD deputies. Sheriff Lott also commands the South Carolina State Guard at the rank of Brigadier General.
For more info:
- rcsd.net
- Facebook: RichlandCountySheriffsDepartment
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