Newsroom

Columbia, SC – A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will conduct an on-site assessment of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health’s (SCDMH) Division of Public Safety, April 25 through April 27.

The accreditation program requires law enforcement agencies to comply with professional standards in the following areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments at a public information session Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 6:00 pm. The session will be conducted in the SCDMH Division of Public Safety Conference Room, 7901 Farrow Road, Building 17, Columbia, 29203.

Agency employees and the public are also invited to offer comments to the Assessment Team by calling the assessment team at 1 (800) 774-2362 on Thursday, April 26, 2018, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Telephone comments and appearances at the public session are limited to 10 minutes each and must address the Agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards, copies of which are available at the Division of Public Safety, 7901 Farrow Road, Building 17, Columbia, 29203.

Those wishing to offer written comments about the Division’s ability to comply with standards for accreditation may send them to: The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155 or via email to: calea@calea.org.

Verification by the Assessment Team that SCDMH Public Safety meets CALEA standards as part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement excellence. In order to maintain accredited status, law enforcement agencies must undergo re-accreditation every four years to ensure continued compliance with CALEA standards.

SCDMH Public Safety Chief Elizabeth Hall noted that the CALEA assessment “is a move towards excellence. CALEA requirements provide standards that strengthen our agency’s practices, polices, and procedures. They enhance our law enforcement capabilities.” SCDMH Public Safety must comply with 159 standards.

Law enforcement practitioners from similar agencies in other states will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit SCDMH facilities where compliance can be witnessed. Once the assessors complete a review of the Agency, they will report to the full Commission, which will then decide if SCDMH Public Safety will be granted accreditation.

The SCDMH Division of Public Safety is the law enforcement entity for the Agency and has statewide jurisdiction. The Division employs sworn officers and has specific responsibilities for coordinating all law enforcement, fire and life safety, and security programs within the Department, and performs as the Agency’s first responders, as necessary. The Division enforces state laws and protects SCDMH property, patients, employees, and visitors.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19, 2018
Contact: Tracy LaPointe
(803) 898-8582
Tracy.lapointe@scdmh.org

###

News Release: Department of Mental Health’s Division of Public Safety Announces On-site Accreditation Assessment

Columbia, SC – A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will conduct an on-site assessment of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health’s (SCDMH) Division of Public Safety, April 25 through April 27. The accreditation program requires law enforcement agencies to comply with professional standards in the… Read More

News Release: Child Abuse Responders Mark 20 Years of Partnership Protecting Richland County Kids

News Release: Child Abuse Responders Mark 20 Years of Partnership Protecting Richland County Kids Columbia, SC – On Tuesday, April 3, 2018, Metropolitan Children’s Advocacy Center (Advocacy Center) will host a rededication of the Richland County Child Abuse Response Team Investigative Protocol, commemorating 20 years of partnership serving Richland County children who have suffered abuse… Read More

Legislative News

2018LegislativeNewsApril5

American Legion National Commander Visits South Carolina Veterans

American Legion National Commander Denise Rohan Visits South Carolina Veterans Written by Tracy LaPointe, SCDMH Office of Public Affairs Monday, March 5, 2018 was an especially celebratory day at CM Tucker Nursing Care Center’s E. Roy Stone Pavilion, as American Legion National Commander Denise Rohan made an official visit to the facility to meet with… Read More

Bull Street Campus Visitation

Multiple parcels of the campus of the former South Carolina State Hospital Campus (Bull Street) have been transferred to private ownership. As such, the SCDMH Agency ended public access to the property in January of 2015. Entry to the buildings on the property is off limits to anyone not directly involved with the development of… Read More

Chinese (Simplified)

Chinese (Traditional)

Kurdish (Kurmanji)

Myanmar (Burmese)

Scottish Gaelic