Office of Professional Standards
Kevin Davis
Chief Deputy
Adam Logan
Sergeant - Training
Alan Sayre
Sergeant - Community Services
Justin Murphy
Lieutenant
Richard Wint
Sergeant - Detention Training
Helen Westmoreland
Accreditation Manager
What is Accreditation?
Accreditation is best described as a collection of standards that are considered to be "best practices" for the operations of a law enforcement agency. These standards are set by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc. and covers a wide spectrum of every aspect of how law enforcement operates.
The process for becoming accredited is lengthy, spanning the course of three years of reviews that look at an agency's policies and procedures, compliance with requirements, and an in-depth look at the agency's operations. During this initial process, agencies must ensure that their specific policies are within the guidelines set forth by the standards put forth by SCLEA, as well as updating any policies and procedures that may be out of compliance.
Once an agency becomes accredited, the process doesn't end there! In order to maintain accreditation status, the agency must continually review it's policies and procedures to ensure that they remain in compliance with the standards as they evolve, document compliance with each and every standard, and complete various annual requirements to ensure compliance with the standards. Every three years, SCLEA audits the agency to determine if they will renew the accreditation.
Accreditation
On March 8, 2024 the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office received their Certificate of Accreditation from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation Inc.. This was a three (3) year process that has been a long-time goal of the agency.
Leadership, Education, and Development
The L.E.A.D. unit, commonly known as the "Training Unit", is primarily responsible for ensuring that employees receive the highest quality training and education in order to perform their assigned duties with the highest quality possible. This includes state-mandated annual training, as well as additional and highly specialized continual training and education.
Training Our Deputies
Training doesn't end when a deputy or detention deputy graduates from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy! Training and education is a lifelong process that is ever-changing and evolving constantly. The L.E.A.D. Unit strives to provide all deputies with the best training possible, whether that be periodic in-service training (commonly known as "block training"), or advanced training in specialized applications. Check out some of the types of training that we do!
New Hire Training and Field Training Programs
Starting a career in law enforcement is an exciting entry into the world of law enforcement! But it isn't for the faint of heart. Initial training is intense, spanning approximately 6-12 months of classroom and field training. Prior to attending the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, the centralized law enforcement training center for the entire state, newly hired deputies must complete qualifications in firearms and physical fitness, as well as learning departmental policies and procedures. Following this first step, new deputies embark on a 4-week online program of academic studies through the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. This 4-week online program provides the academic foundation for their continued studies and covers introductory topics including legal principles and policing concepts.
After completing the 4-week online program and passing a rigorous cumulative exam, new deputies travel to Columbia, SC to attend the grueling 8-week Criminal Justice Academy in-person program. During these 8 weeks, new deputies live at the Academy (Sunday - Friday) and are immersed into a wide variety of instructional programs including: legals, defensive tactics, firearms training, traffic laws and traffic stop tactics, response to active shooter situations, advanced vehicle operations courses and tactics, scenario-driven exercises, and much more! The training program at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy is extremely intense, both mentally and physically, but is essential to ensure that the law enforcement officers in our state are ready to serve their communities!
Upon graduation of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, deputies are not done training! For the next 10-12 weeks, new deputies must now put their newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice in the Field Training Officer program. The FTO phase of new hire training is a carefully crafted and constructed program where all newly hired deputies are paired with qualified training officers to learn the art of law enforcement. For newly hired deputies that come from other agencies and are already certified law enforcement officers, they still must go through the FTO program to learn our agency's policies and procedures. During FTO, trainers teach new deputies law enforcement skills and application of their newly-acquired knowledge in real-world situations.
Continuing Education and Training
We never stop learning! Each year, every deputy attends 2 in-service training sessions that we call "block training". These training sessions contain a variety of blocks of instruction ranging from use-of-force, defensive tactics, firearms proficiency, and many other specialized subjects. While some of these subjects are required annual by the State of South Carolina, many are additional topics that go above and beyond what is required.
But we don't stop there! In addition to "block training", deputies also participate in other training programs during the year which is conducted separately, such as Emergency Vehicle Operations training where deputies sharpen their driving skills and tactics in a real-world environment but on a closed driving course to ensure the safety of everyone.
And that's not all! We periodically bring in guest speakers and presenters that bring valuable training on topics such as leadership, supervision, professional development, and more! These world-class presenters help all deputies explore advanced topics and subjects to further enhance their skillsets, not only as deputies, but as supervisors and aspiring leaders of our agency.
There's more! We also send deputies to training opportunities outside of the agency! This includes seminars and conferences that are held throughout the country. These opportunities range from narcotics summits to investigations conferences, traffic safety seminars, and leadership expos! We don't know everything, so we send our employees to learn from the best in the country!