Location:
Lancaster County is unique county as it geographically is part of the Charlotte, NC MSA. Lancaster County lies directly on the border of Charlotte, NC. The area is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation with Charlotte being one of the largest cities and expanding rapidly. The population boom in this region of the country is for good reason. The economy and quality of life are unparalleled. The lower cost of living paired with the public-school systems of Indian Land and neighboring Fort Mill are some of the best in the state and the access to convenient amenities as well as excellent options for entertainment, food, outdoor activities, and culture have made the Charlotte area one of the sought-out destinations for many families in the past decade.
Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office & Community Partnerships:
Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, (LCSO), is the primary law enforcement agency for Lancaster County, a county with an estimated population of 112,687. From 2010, this is a 46.39% increase, this is the largest in the Charlotte region (US Census). Lancaster County consists of approximately 550 square miles of land area, Due to its geographical location, Indian Land has exploded in recent years with many developments, both housing and commercial, causing rapid growth to the county of Lancaster. In essence, the north end of Lancaster County has become a suburb of Charlotte, NC. Many industries and companies call Indian Land and Lancaster County their home which include Founders Federal Credit Union, Nutramax Laboratories, Continental Tires of the Americas, Red Ventures, Movement Mortgage, CompuCom Systems, Cardinal Health, Honeywell, Keer America, Sharonview Federal Credit Union, Akzo Nobel, University of South Carolina Lancaster, CrossRidge/INSP, ServiceMac, MUSC-L hospital, OceanaGold – Haile Gold Mine. LCSO has worked tirelessly to establish, develop, and grow our relationships and partnerships with many of our local homegrown companies that call our county headquarters and home.
We are sworn to serve and represent those who oftentimes are overlooked or under-supported. Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has forged a forever partnership with the Special Olympics. We believe strongly to our core that these special athletes and families of athletes must be supported and heard. We proudly support them in every way possible by participating in the Law Enforcement Torch Runs both locally, at the South Carolina Capital for the Special Olympic Games, and even globally. Last year our very own Major Matt Shaw was selected to represent us as he was one of the few to run in Germany to help spread awareness and honor the special athletes from all over the world who come together to compete and celebrate each year.
Culture:
Lancaster County is one of the fastest growing counties in the State of South Carolina. Our growth has placed us in the top three counties each year and as a law enforcement agency we have strived to be one of the very best in the state. We are only one of eight sheriff’s offices that are accredited with CALEA and are also dual accredited with the State of South Carolina. Our innovative approach and our grass roots culture have firmly planted us as one of the examples for how community policing is done, as shown by the recent L. Anthony Sutin Award for Innovative Law Enforcement and Community Partnerships which was presented to Sheriff Barry Faile by the DOJ this March of 2024. Only two law enforcement agencies are presented this prestigious award annually and we were honored to be selected and presented this by Deputy Director Rob Chapman from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
In 2023 Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office was pleased to announce their partnership with the DiJulius Group. The DiJulius Group provides customer service consulting, training, and executive education and are most notable and renowned for their partnerships and culture with famous companies like Lexus, Starbucks, and Chick-fil-A. The DiJulius Group is highly selective in who they chose to partner with and as one of the first law enforcement agencies in the country selected, we are honored to have been chosen as we believe excellent customer service is essential and should be one of the hallmarks of any law enforcement agency as servant leaders to their communities.
Speaking of representing and serving communities, due to the influx of families, young professionals, retirees, and bedroom communities of 55 or older, there is a diverse group of citizens represented in Lancaster County that all have unique and individual interests in police services. Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office is committed to serve each of these as well from the highly and densely populated suburban sprawl from our north end, the traditional City of Lancaster in the middle of the county, the rural communities of Buford and Shiloh to the east, to lovely southern-rooted cultures in the towns of Heath Springs and Kershaw in our southern region. We are diverse, and traditional, but our diversity has made us strong and one of the professional law enforcement agencies to watch and model.
Deputies, Investigators, Supervisors & Training:
Due to the immense growth of our agency and county, the makeup of the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office is made up of a younger, motivated, and dynamic group of individuals. The agency is a family-centric agency with many of the patrol deputies being younger and energetic and eager to help and learn. The unparalleled growth has allowed newly sworn deputy sheriffs to grow and raise through the career ladder or get into the field of investigations quickly compared to some of the other areas of the country where it often takes many years to obtain the rank of detective or supervisor. Dedicated and motivated officers are able to make their mark in their respective communities and be noticed by senior leadership and rewarded with opportunities for upper advancement such as Crime Scene Investigations, Criminal Investigations, Multi-Jurisdictional Violent Crime Task Force (Homicide), Federal Task Force Officers (TFO's), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Special Operations/Street Crimes, Animal Control, Civil Processing, Courthouse security, School Resource Officers (SRO's), Grant-funded enforcement positions, and opioid community outreach programs. Personnel are also encouraged to seek other outside training and we often send our supervisors and those wishing to pursue supervision to the FBI-LEEDA courses as well as all our CSI to the National Forensic Academy, Univ. of TN, FBI's "Body Farm". Our Patrol Captain is a recent graduate of the FBI National Academy, and we believe training is paramount.
All employees are trained in the Active Bystandardship for Law Enforcement (ABLE) where we take the actions of our peers seriously and ensure the welfare of our citizens. We also are one of the few agencies to train in active shooter (ASIM) where we use real world scenarios with the cooperation of the local school district to use their schools in partnership with teachers, staff, LC EMS, LC Fire Services, local media, and others to train our community on how to respond to a worst-case scenario in our schools. This specific training is very expensive and not widely used due to the immense cost and preparation and community cooperation. We conduct this important and dynamic training biannually.
We routinely train 3-4 times the minimum State of SC requirement so that our people are better prepared and equipped for this ever-changing world. We also have available to us a state-the-art mock town on the upstairs of our Training Facility that has avenues, homes, stores, that are perfect for simunition training and scenario-based training for domestic violence to room clearing to training on the most recent legal updates. The mock town is complete with real street signs and fire hydrants, air conditioning units, and an upstairs catwalk for observation from Training Division staff. The Training Center also has a state-of-the-art simulation center for interacting to pre-programmed scenarios which can also aid in legal updates or problematic issues stemming in the nation. All deputies are also trained by local partnerships where NAMI teaches their Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) week-long course.
The Citizens of Lancaster County:
We are backed by our diverse communities which sets us apart from many other regions and agencies of the country. During the last several years America has experienced a cultural depression with the national events as well as COVID-19. Lancaster County rallied behind their sheriff’s office and where others saw demands of defunding, we saw immense support from our generous County Council and populous. We saw significant growth as well as raises which has allowed LCSO to be one of the highest paid LE agencies in the State of South Carolina. With excellent benefits, fixed schedules, take-home vehicles, and unparalleled upward and outward professional mobility, this is one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the state backed by some of the greatest and most supportive communities in the country. We are blessed to serve these people in all our communities. We promise this is the place to live, love, work, and watch your children play, grow, and learn. Lancaster County is a special place, and The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office would love to be your new family.
DiJulius Group Action Statement:
Use all interactions as opportunities to serve, leaving a positive impression.
Mission Statement:
To provide efficient, innovative, and professional law enforcement services tailored
to the needs of individual communities to improve their quality of life and keep them
safe.
Vision Statement:
The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office will become the statewide standard in policing
through our commitment to excellence, professionalism and education.
History:
In the 1750's, Scottish-Irish settlers from Pennsylvania began moving into the area that would become Lancaster County. The state legislature formed Lancaster County in 1785 as part of the Camden District. The first recorded Sheriff for Lancaster County was James Craig, who was elected in 1787. The first court sessions were held in a private residence until a log courthouse was built in 1795 and a second courthouse was built in 1802. A brick courthouse was subsequently constructed in 1828 and is still standing at the present time as a National Historic Landmark. Five years earlier, in 1823, a new jail building and home for the county jailer was constructed a block away from the courthouse. In 1972 the practice of having a single jailer who lived on the bottom floor was discontinued and a jailer for each shift was hired. Renovations were completed in 1973 and the Sheriff's Office, which had historically been housed in a portion of the bottom floor of the Courthouse, relocated to the bottom floor of the county jail.
In 1979, a new Sheriff's Office and jail were being constructed. Prior to the completion, an inmate started a fire inside the old jail building. The jailer was unable to open a padlock to a large holding cell and 10 of the 11 inmates incarcerated at the time died. Later that year, the agency would move into its new home where it remained for over 30 years. The county, and consequently the Sheriff's Office, experienced tremendous growth in the 21st Century. From 2000 to the present day, the county population has increased by over 50% and the Sheriff's Office has roughly doubled in size. In 2013, the agency moved from its increasingly cramped headquarters into a complex of six buildings which added much needed space.
Barry Faile was elected as Sheriff of Lancaster County in 2008 and took office in January of 2009. One of his initial goals upon assuming the office was that the agency would make the necessary improvements to gain accreditation. This process began with the seeking of state accreditation, which was accomplished in early 2011. The agency immediately began working toward accreditation through CALEA and received its initial CALEA accreditation in 2013 and was re-accredited in 2016 and 2020. The agency has been, and continues to be, the smallest CALEA accredited Sheriff's Office in South Carolina.