2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 23 - Law Enforcement and Public Safety › Chapter 23 - Law Enforcement Training Council And Criminal Justice Academy › Section 23-23-10. Purpose; definitions.

(A) In order to ensure the public safety and general welfare of the people of this State, and to promote equity for all segments of society, a program of training for law enforcement officers and other persons employed in the criminal justice system in this State is hereby proclaimed and this chapter must be interpreted to achieve these purposes principally through the establishment of minimum and advance standards in law enforcement selection and training.
(B) It is the intent of this chapter to encourage all law enforcement officers, departments, and agencies within this State to adopt standards which are higher than the minimum standards implemented pursuant to this chapter, and these minimum standards may not be considered sufficient or adequate in cases where higher standards have been adopted or proposed. Nothing in this chapter may be construed to preclude an employing agency from establishing qualifications and standards for hiring or training law enforcement officers which exceed the minimum standards set by the Law Enforcement Training Council, hereinafter created, nor, unless specifically stated, may anything in this chapter be construed to affect any sheriff, or other law enforcement officer elected under the provisions of the Constitution of this State.
(C) It is the intent of the General Assembly in creating a facility and a governing council to maximize training opportunities for law enforcement officers and criminal justice personnel, to coordinate training, and to set standards for the law enforcement and criminal justice service, all of which are imperative to upgrading law enforcement to professional status.
(D) Upon the signature of the Governor, all functions, duties, responsibilities, accounts, and authority statutorily exercised by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy Division of the Department of Public Safety are transferred to and devolved upon the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.
(E) As contained in this chapter:
(1) "Law enforcement officer" means an appointed officer or employee hired by and regularly on the payroll of the State or any of its political subdivisions, who is granted statutory authority to enforce all or some of the criminal, traffic, and penal laws of the State and who possesses, with respect to those laws, the power to effect arrests for offenses committed or alleged to have been committed.
(2) "Council" means the South Carolina Law Enforcement Training Council created by this chapter.
(3) "Academy" means the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy created by this chapter.
(4) "Director" means the Director of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.
HISTORY: 2006 Act No. 317, Section 1, eff May 30, 2006; 2008 Act No. 335, Section 12, eff June 16, 2008; 2014 Act No. 225 (H.3958), Section 1, eff June 2, 2014.
Effect of Amendment
The 2008 amendment, in subsection (D), substituted "Criminal Justice Academy" for "Law Enforcement Training Council".
2014 Act No. 225, Section 1, in subsection (A), substituted "ensure" for "insure"; in subsection (B), substituted "Law Enforcement Training Council" for "council" in the last sentence; and in subsection (E), inserted "South Carolina" in paragraph (2), added paragraphs (3) and (4), and made other nonsubstantive changes.