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December 19th, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. Inspired by a century-old Texas Rangers’ prayer, W. Thomas Smith Jr. crafted a modern invocation for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, reflecting faith, courage and service in 2025 Recently when Columbia, South Carolina writer W. Thomas Smith Jr. was reading a few books about the history of the famed Texas Rangers, he came across the Texas Rangers’ Prayer, composed in the early 20th century (no specific date recorded) by the

December 9th, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department raised over $1,800 in a single day this year FOR THE FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) were out in force ringing the bells for the Salvation Army from 10:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. at the northeast Columbia location of Walmart, Thursday, Dec. 4: Sheriff Lott’s shift, which also included deputies regularly fea

November 24, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. Larry Payne’s life’s work is reflected in his three decades of service to Richland County In January 2018, then-Lieutenant Larry Payne was one of three Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) deputies featured in a national POLICE1 article which examined the department’s unique and first-of-its-kind pre-PTSD conditioning programs: A period of pre-post-traumatic stress disorder counseling and training which all of RCSD’s newly hire

November 20, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. Pictured are students with RCSD deputies and law enforcement officers from other agencies at Ballentine Elementary School. High Five Fridays have become an exciting beginning to the last day of each week For years (during the schoolyear) one of the most enthusiastically anticipated end-of-week interactions between schoolkids and deputies has been HIGH FIVE FRIDAYS (H5F), a Friday morning period when deputies meet and greet elementary

October 29, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. Sheriff Leon Lott and RCSD employees are pictured wearing pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Oct. 29, 2025. Photograph of Richland County Sheriff’s Department in South Carolina becomes PHOTO OF THE WEEK in top national law enforcement publication Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott (on the far right wearing a pink shirt with sheriff’s stars on his collar) was photographed with a group of his Richland County Sheriff’s Depar

October 22, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. Pictured (L-R) are Sgt. 1st Class James A. Lawson, Lt. Ricky Griddine, Deputy Chief Maria Yturria, Sheriff Leon Lott, and retired Deputy James Taylor. Sheriff Lott honors retired Deputy and Vietnam veteran James L. Taylor Sr. Mr. James L. Taylor, Sr., a 92-year-old retired deputy sheriff with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) was presented his retirement credentials, during a special ceremony at the RCSD headquarters, Tue

October 16, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. Before most of Columbia was awake, Richland County’s tactical operators had already hit three targets, seized weapons and drugs, and regrouped before breakfast. RCSD Special Response Team Operators are seen here during a final briefing at a staging area prior to launching the first raid of the morning, Sept. 5. Hours before sunrise on September 5, 2025, 10 black Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) SUVs — some marked, most unmar

October 13, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) defeated both the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division(SLED) and the Columbia Police Department (CPD) in a double-elimination softball tournament which raised funds for local nonprofit SERVE & CONNECT, Sunday, Oct. 5,at Segra Park in Columbia. Participating teams included RCSD, SLED, CPD, the Columbia-Richland Fire Department, and

October 12, 2025 By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. Lott says his Richland County Sheriff’s Department has changed the public narrative through new and emerging technologies as well as RCSD’s “peace officer” branding Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott addressed members of the Spring Valley Rotary Club at Columbia’s Northeast Presbyterian Church, Thursday, Oct. 9: The primary focuses of his remarks being how the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) has changed the narrative from hi

Richland County Deputy among five first-responders to be honored on the eve of the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks