Administrative Division
The Administrative Division is responsible for the overall daily operations of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, recruitment, training, as well as community education and outreach. The sections and units of this division support operations of the Sheriff’s Office.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is a policy-driven agency that adheres to smart and best practices in law enforcement, Communications Center (emergency dispatch 9-1-1), and Forensic Services Laboratory (forensic sciences) operations, as evidenced by its international, national and state accreditations.
To maintain its prestigious accreditations, the Sheriff’s Office must undergo periodic remote and on-site audits conducted by South Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation (SCLEA), Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) assessors.
The Accreditation Unit ensures that the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office documents and maintains its proof of compliance with hundreds of written policies and ensures the agency is prepared for CALEA and SCLEA audits and, if needed, assists personnel from the Forensic Services Laboratory with ANAB inspections.
For more information about accreditation and its importance to the Sheriff’s Office, click HERE.
Deputy sheriffs assigned to the Airport Security Program provide a safer environment for residents and visitors traveling through Beaufort County’s airports.
Deputy sheriffs in the Civil Process Unit are responsible for serving court-issued subpoenas, judgments, evictions and arrest warrants, as well as providing secure transport to in-patient mental health facilities across the state.
Learn more about the Civil Process Unit, Judgements and Warrants Unit by click HERE.
The Courthouse Security Unit provides Beaufort County’s courthouses with a safer environment to conduct judicial functions in General Sessions, Common Pleas, Family, Probate and Magistrate courts.
The Criminal Records Section is primarily responsible for the maintenance and proper storage of all written records. This section also provides the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division with criminal incident and arrest data for the South Carolina Incident Based Reporting System (SCIBRS).
Among its duties, the Criminal Records Section processes incident reports; fingerprint cards; uniform traffic tickets and written warnings; court subpoenas; criminal records requests; requests for records from insurance companies and attorneys; Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests; and walk-in requests from the public.
To request a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office record through the Freedom of Information Act, please click HERE.
For more information on our fingerprinting services, click HERE.
The Evidence and Property Section is responsible for the receipt, storage, safekeeping, release of all evidence, as well as found and recovered property in the custody of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The Evidence and Property Section uses a traceable property management system to ensure that evidence is handled, documented and preserved to prevent contamination and/or inadmissibility in court.
The section maintains the integrity and security of approximately 15,000 items submitted to its custody each year. In accordance with Sheriff’s Office policy and state law, items of evidence are maintained throughout court dispositions and appeals processes, at which time the items may be disposed of.
To check on the status of property taken as evidence in a criminal investigation, call our Evidence and Property section at 843-255-3600 or email [email protected].
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office’s Forensic Services Laboratory provides DNA and chemical analysis of controlled substances for local and surrounding law enforcement agencies.
With its highly trained forensic scientists and state-of-the-art equipment, the Forensic Services Laboratory routinely provides analysis to aid in the identification and successful prosecution of criminal offenders.
Conversely, and of grave importance, its analyses have also proven persons suspected of criminal activities innocent.
To read more about the Forensic Services Laboratory and its capabilities, please click HERE.
The General Sessions Court Liaison is responsible for maintaining and overseeing all Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office criminal cases that appear before the General Sessions (Circuit) Court. As part of that responsibility, the unit presents facts of the General Sessions cases to the Beaufort County Grand Jury for indictment.
In addition, the unit coordinates criminal cases with the Beaufort County Magistrate Court preliminary (probable cause) hearings; assists in the scheduling of Sheriff’s Office deputies for court appearances; and acts as the Sheriff’s Office liaison with the Solicitor’s and Public Defender’s offices throughout court processes.
The Juvenile Services Section consists of the School Resource Officers and Community Resource Officers programs.
Community Resource Officers are assigned to Beaufort County School District elementary schools; and full-time School Resource Officers are assigned to the district’s middle and high schools.
Both programs are designed to ensure a safe learning environment for students and a safe working environment for teachers and staff. The mission of the Juvenile Services Section is to foster positive relationships with our youngest community members so that they may lead healthier, safer lives.
The Recruitment and Staffing team oversees the hiring process for all prospective employees, manages personnel records and facilitates promotions within the agency through monthly boards and ceremonies.
To find out more about employment opportunities with the Sheriff’s Office, click HERE.
The Training section of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for all aspects of Sheriff’s Office class preparation, annual qualifications and certification.