Title 23, Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Notwithstanding any other provision of law in effect prior to February 13, 1976, any state law or local ordinance which requires an applicant for employment as a county law enforcement officer to be a resident of the county in which he seeks employment prior to time of employment…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a law enforcement agency may, for the purpose of conducting undercover narcotic or vice investigations or surveillance operations, temporarily equip vehicles registered and licensed in this State with out-of-state license plates.

No law enforcement agency of this State or any political subdivision thereof shall sell at auction any beer or other malt beverage products seized by it for a violation of law unless such products at the time of the auction meet the quality control standards of the manufacturer r…

It is unlawful for a peace officer to be employed within the State on a contingent basis upon which he receives any share of fines collected by him or through his efforts as compensation. A peace officer accepting employment on a contingent basis or receiving or accepting any par…

(A) For purposes of this section, "federal law enforcement officer" means the following persons who are employed as full-time law enforcement officers by the federal government and who are authorized to carry firearms while performing their duties: (1) Federal Bureau of Investiga…

Upon retirement, state law enforcement officers may retain their commissions in retired status with all rights and privileges, including the right to retain their service weapons issued while serving in active duty status.

(A) There is hereby created the First Responders Advisory Committee which shall consist of: (1) the following eleven members, or their designees: (a) the Chairman of the Governor's Security Council; (b) the Director of the State Law Enforcement Division; (c) the Director of the D…

(A) For purposes of this section, "body-worn camera" means an electronic device worn on a person's body that records both audio and video data. (B) State and local law enforcement agencies, under the direction of the Law Enforcement Training Council, shall implement the use of bo…

(A) A law enforcement agency, department, or division may not require a law enforcement officer employed by the agency, department, or division to issue a specific amount or meet a quota for the number of citations he issues during a designated period of time. (B) Nothing in this…

(A) The use of a chokehold or carotid hold is limited to circumstances where the use of deadly force would otherwise be authorized and is objectively reasonable. (B) In addition to any other penalty provided by law, the wilful use of excessive force in an objectively unreasonable…

Of the amounts appropriated by acts of the General Assembly for police officials and all commissioned law-enforcement officers, the sum of five dollars a day for each regular work day shall be designated as a statutory subsistence allowance.

Of the amounts appropriated as salaries for municipal law-enforcement officers and county law-enforcement officers the sum of five dollars per day for each such officer is hereby designated as subsistence for each day of active duty.

Any law-enforcement officer ordered to perform duties which carry him away from the area in which he lives and performs his ordinary duties shall be allowed reimbursement for actual subsistence expenses incurred and paid not to exceed fifteen dollars per day while traveling in th…

(A) The Governor may, at his discretion, appoint additional deputies, constables, security guards, and detectives as he deems necessary to assist in the detection of crime and the enforcement of the criminal laws of this State. The qualifications, salaries, and expenses of these …

(A) When making application for appointment, a nonrefundable fee of fifty dollars is required of all state constables appointed pursuant to the provisions of Section 23-1-60. A fee of fifty dollars must be paid with each renewal application. No fees are required of employees of t…

Every constable or peace officer appointed and commissioned by the Governor to serve as such without pay shall, every three months during their respective terms of service, file with the Governor a complete report of his work, acts and doings as such officer.

Each rural policeman, deputy sheriff, constable or other peace officer within any county containing a city or town of five thousand inhabitants or more in this State shall make and file with the county supervisor each month a verified report of all arrests made by him, the name o…

There is created the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The division must be headed by a chief appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate and shall hold office until his successor is appointed and qualified. The term of the chief is six years…

(A) In order to facilitate the authorized interstate exchange of criminal history information for noncriminal justice purposes including, but not limited to, background checks for the licensing and screening of employees and volunteers under the National Child Protection Act of 1…

There is hereby established as a department within the State Law Enforcement Division a statewide criminal information and communication system, hereinafter referred to in this article as "the system," with such functions as the Division may assign to it and with such authority, …

(A) If a person is charged with a criminal offense and is confined for any period in a jail of the State, county, or municipality, or a jail operated by a regional jail authority, a reasonable effort shall be made to determine whether the confined person is an alien unlawfully pr…

(A) The State Law Enforcement Division shall charge and collect a fee of twenty-five dollars for each criminal record search conducted pursuant to regulations contained in Subarticle 1, Article 3, Chapter 73 of the Code of Regulations. All revenue generated up to an amount of fou…

(A) All law enforcement agencies and court officials must report all criminal data and related information within their respective jurisdictions to the State Law Enforcement Division's Central Record Repository at such times and in such form as the State Law Enforcement Division …

(A) The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shall serve as the statewide, central repository for log information submitted electronically in real time to the data collection system pursuant to Section 44-53-398(D)(2) and transferred to SLED in order to monitor the sales and pur…

The State Law Enforcement Division is authorized to determine the specific information to be supplied by the law-enforcement agencies and court officials pursuant to Section 23-3-120, and the methods by which such information shall be compiled, evaluated and disseminated. The Sta…

(A) The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shall create and operate a statewide sexual assault kit tracking system. SLED may contract with state or nonstate entities including, but not limited to, private software and technology providers, for the creation, operation, and main…

The provisions of this article shall not be construed to require or permit the disclosure or reporting of any information in the manner prohibited by existing law.

(A) The "Blue Alert Program" is established within the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The purpose of the program is to assist law enforcement in the apprehension of a suspect who allegedly kills, seriously injures, or abducts a law enforcement officer by rapidly …

(A) In addition to those authorities and responsibilities set forth in this chapter, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division shall have specific and exclusive jurisdiction and authority statewide, on behalf of the State, in matters including but not limited to the following f…

The State Law Enforcement Division is authorized to accept, on behalf of the State, and use in the establishment, expansion and improvement of the system, funds in the nature of grants or appropriations from the State, the United States, or any agency thereof, and may contract wi…

(A) The Center for School Safety and Targeted Violence is established within the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The purpose of the center is to provide extensive training, education, and expertise in the fields of school safety and targeted violence. (B) SLED sha…

In any accident involving injury or death of a person under the age of twenty-one, where there is cause to believe that any beverage containing alcohol was consumed prior to the accident by the person under twenty-one, the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction to investigate…

In any motor vehicle accident involving injury or death of a person where there is cause to believe that an illegal drug or controlled substance was used prior to the accident by any person involved therein, the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction to investigate the accide…

The State Law Enforcement Division Vehicle Theft Unit is authorized to inspect a junkyard, scrap metal processing facility, salvage yard, repair shop, licensed business buying, selling, displaying, or trading new or used motor vehicles or parts of motor vehicles, parking lots, an…

Every officer and agent commissioned pursuant to this article shall file a bond, or be covered by a surety bond, of not less than two thousand dollars with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, subscribed by a licensed surety company, conditioned for the faithful performan…

There is created a Missing Person Information Center, hereinafter referred to as MPIC, to be located in Columbia as a part of the State Law Enforcement Division. The purpose of the MPIC is to serve as a central repository for information regarding missing persons and missing and …

For the purposes of this article: (1) "Missing child" means any individual who is under the age of seventeen years whose temporary or permanent residence is in South Carolina, or is believed to be in South Carolina, whose location has not been determined, and who has been reporte…

The MPIC is under the direction of the Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division and may be organized and structured in a manner as the Chief deems appropriate to ensure that the objectives of the MPIC are achieved. The Chief may employ those MPIC personnel as the General Assem…

The MPIC shall promulgate regulations prescribing: (a) procedures for accepting and disseminating information maintained at the MPIC; (b) the confidentiality of the data and information, including the missing person report, maintained by the MPIC; (c) the proper disposition of al…

Any parent, spouse, guardian, legal custodian, public or private agency or entity, or any person responsible for a missing person, may submit a missing person report to the MPIC on any missing child or missing person, regardless of the circumstances, after having first submitted …

The Chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division may assign personnel of the division to particular areas of enforcement as appropriate for the enforcement of the laws and regulations of this State which the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is charged with enforcin…

A law enforcement agency, upon receipt of a missing person report by a parent, spouse, guardian, legal custodian, public or private agency or entity, or any person responsible for a missing person, immediately shall make arrangements for the entry of data about the missing person…

The MPIC shall: (a) Assist local law enforcement agencies with entering data about missing persons or missing children into the national missing persons file, ensure that proper entry criteria have been met as set forth by the FBI/NCIC, and confirm entry of the data about the mis…

Any parent, spouse, guardian, legal custodian, public or private agency or entity, or any person responsible for a missing person, who submits a missing person report to a law enforcement agency or to the MPIC, after having first submitted the missing person report to the appropr…

The following may make inquiries of, and receive data or information from, the MPIC: (a) Any police, law enforcement, or criminal justice agency investigating a report of a missing or unidentified person or child, whether living or deceased. (b) A court, upon a finding by the cou…

The MPIC may not charge any fee for inquiries made to it pursuant to this article.