Sheriff Lott named 2021 Sheriff of the Year

From Cola Daily

Richland County Sheriff’s Department officials announced Monday that Sheriff Leon Lott has been named the Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriff’s Association.

The award is officially known as the “NSA Ferris E. Lucas Award for Sheriff of the Year,” and it will be presented during the NSA’s annual national convention in June.

Lott said receiving the award is a tremendous honor to him, personally, and for the state of South Carolina. “This is the first time a S.C. sheriff has been named national Sheriff of the Year. And to be recognized by this 81-year-old organization with a history going back to the 19th century in which some of the most important local and national law enforcement policy has been legislated, makes it all the more rewarding to me,” said Lott, who received the announcement letter from the NSA Monday.

The National Sheriff’s Association represents thousands of sheriffs, deputies, and other law enforcement and safety professionals nationwide, according to RCSD. Its roots stretch back to the Interstate Sheriff’s Association, founded in 1888.

According to the association’s website, the NSA serves as “the center of a vast network of law enforcement information, filling requests for information daily and enabling criminal justice professionals, including police officers, sheriffs, and deputies, to locate the information and programs they need.”