Sheriff John Skipper recently attended the 33rd Annual South Carolina Sheriffs’ Conference held in Myrtle Beach.
The three day conference began Sunday evening, July 13, with the President’s Reception, which began at 6:15 p.m. The reception was held in the exhibit hall with 78 law enforcement vendors showing and demonstrating products that ranged from specially designed police cars to law enforcement software for jail and case management.
Monday was dedicated to training, which included presentations on federal U and T Visa programs used for illegal aliens who are victims of crimes in this country. Monday also included a presentation by Major Roger Owens with the State Law Enforcement Division on RAP ID, which allows officers in the field to make positive ID’s using portable finger print scanners.
Finally, Clayton Dyson, Scott Wozniak, and Blake Roberts, who are all members of Chick-fil-A Corporate offices, made a special presentation on servant leadership. With Chick-fil-A as a case study, the Association looked at the difference between working in a group and functioning as a real team. Additionally, the training looked at the best practices of high performing teams and discussed why some reach the rarified air of exceptional performance over sustained periods of time.
The Association’s Annual Banquet was held on Monday evening, July 14, where the newly elected Board of Directors was sworn in. Sheriff of the Year, Jim Matthews of Kershaw County, and Deputy of the Year, Lt. Michael Miller of Lancaster County, were also recognized for their outstanding service.
The conference ended with the Annual Business Meeting on Wednesday morning. There, Sheriffs heard from multiple speakers including Chief Mark Keel (State Law Enforcement Division), Director Hubert Harrell (SC Criminal Justice Academy), Director Leroy Smith (SC Department of Public Safety), Director Catherine Templeton (SC Department of Health and Environmental Control), and many others. Each of our featured speakers provided critical updates for South Carolina’s Sheriffs.
