Message from the Director
Leroy Smith
“II recently had the great honor of introducing two new awards, which I believe are long overdue and are integral to a law enforcement organization – the Medal of Valor and Purple Heart awards.” awards.
6 South Carolina Trooper
It has been an honor to get to know more troopers and retirees in South Carolina as I have canvassed the state these past months. As you know, I come from a long career with the Florida Highway Patrol. I have a deep dedication to law enforcement and understand the commitment and sacrifice it takes to devote yourself to this life. I am continually impressed by the sacrifice and work ethic I see in our men and women in uniform each day – many times under the most adverse and difficult situations. I am most impressed by the close bond that remains among our retirees, families of fallen troopers and those who continue to serve and lead the South Carolina Highway Patrol. To me, this is a testament to the strength of an organization and seamless continuity from the past to the future. We depend on the insights and expertise of those who have gone before us to help establish and guide our paths. This year, the Highway Patrol’s parent agency – SCDPS -- celebrates 20 years of serving the State of South Carolina. I am proud to stand at the helm as we reflect on those 20 years and look ahead to the next 20. While the SC Highway Patrol has been around for more than 80 years, it has played a pivotal role in shaping the Department of Public Safety over the past 20. One of my goals as director of this agency, which has a diverse scope and mission, is to provide cohesiveness to our vision and values. What do we stand for as an agency? And where do we see ourselves 10 and even 20 years from now? I hope to help provide a bridge from our strong past to an even stronger future. I am excited to announce that we have recently adopted a long-term agency vision called Target Zero at SCDPS. This is more than a slogan for us; it is a commitment to the very core of our mission. It is where we are headed as a strong public safety agency focused on saving lives One Day at a Time, One Life at a Time. Target Zero is a challenge – not only to our law enforcement – but to every SCDPS employee to stay focused on our mission in this agency: to save lives. It should be our goal every day to see that no family ever has to suffer the heartbreak of losing someone on our highways. I am challenged – as I hope our employees and stakeholders are – by this vision, but how do we get there? After only a short time in South Carolina, I learned that teamwork is not a theoretical concept -- but a philosophy put into practice every day among our law enforcement – both within this agency and beyond. We learned long ago that our strength lies in our ability to draw on each other’s resources. One recent example of this teamwork in action is the creation of active shooter training here at SCDPS. Newtown, like Columbine and other tragedies that have shaken our nation, caused us – as law enforcement -- to look at our resources and training and ask is there anything we can do to strengthen the safety of our communities and schools. DPS began a uniform active shooter training program this year that will culminate in May. Law enforcement representing every DPS division will be trained in active shooter response so that in the event of an active shooter situation, we can be on the ground quickly to assist our local partners. I am proud of what it took for our Training Unit, working with other state and local agencies, to pull this training model together quickly to meet this need. I am proud of the team we have in place in our law enforcement divisions. Under Col. Oliver, the Highway Patrol has a team-oriented, compassionate and forward thinking leader. Col. Oliver not only understands the human side of law enforcement but he understands the technical side of issues such as connectivity in our vehicles and how that enhances response time and officer safety. (continued on page 11)