DHEC Salutes Law Enforcement Agents on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Jan. 9, 2024 

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― January 9 is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) would like to thank the agency’s law enforcement agents – and all members of law enforcement – during this day of recognition.   

DHEC has two law enforcement units: the Bureau of Drug Control within the Healthcare Quality division and the Office of Law Enforcement within the Environmental Affairs division. 

“I’m proud to shine the spotlight on DHEC’s law enforcement agents not just today, but every day,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC Director. “On behalf of the agency, I’d like to thank our agents, and law enforcement officers across our state and nation, for their dedication to public service and to the protection of people, our communities, and our natural resources.” 

DHEC’s Bureau of Drug Control (BDC) serves a regulatory role and enforces the South Carolina Controlled Substances Act. BDC agents are pharmacists who have undergone training through the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy to become state law enforcement officers. DHEC’s BDC agents: 

• Conduct onsite inspections and audits of pharmacies, hospitals and practitioners to make sure they are properly recording, storing and handling controlled substances.  
• Respond to complaints and concerns reported to DHEC that may indicate criminal activity or misuse of controlled substances, and, when warranted, they make arrests. 
• Work closely with local law enforcement, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation in the ongoing fight against the misuse of controlled substances. 

Officers and investigators with the Office of Law Enforcement within DHEC’s Environmental Affairs division are certified by the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy as Class 1 Police Officers commissioned by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division. They have statewide jurisdiction to conduct investigations, carry firearms, make arrests and execute and serve search warrants to gather evidence of environmental-related crimes. Additionally: 

• Special investigators within the Environmental Affairs’ Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) investigate grossly negligent, willful and knowing violations of state and federal environmental criminal laws. These investigations generally involve criminal violations of the Hazardous Waste Management Act, the Pollution Control Act, Solid Waste Policy and Management Act, State Safe Drinking Water Act, and Infectious Waste Management Act, as well as other general and related crimes. 
• Frequently, additional crimes are uncovered during the investigation of environmental crimes, such as complex conspiracies, fraudulent schemes and falsification of documents. DHEC’s OCI works closely with state and federal prosecutors to bring those responsible for all these crimes to justice.  
• DHEC’s Shellfish Sanitation Program is a 10-officer team that primarily operates in the coastal counties but conducts operations as needed throughout the state. Their responsibilities include patrolling the shellfish (oysters and clams) harvesting grounds and inspecting shellfish processors and transporters. DHEC officers also work closely with counterparts with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.  

Learn more about the roles and responsibilities of DHEC’s law enforcement units at scdhec.gov. Anyone can report a public health or environmental concern or complaint to DHEC at https://des.sc.gov/report-it. 

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