The Institute for Youth Justice and OneSpartanburg, Inc. have partnered to provide 50 new internships for high school students in Spartanburg County. The program is for students who are interested in pursuing careers in law enforcement or the judicial system. The five-month training program has been active since 2016 and has graduated over 100 students.
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Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties in South Carolina have launched their first Reentry Coalition, a program aimed at helping incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society. The coalition's first meeting was held on August 22, and its focus will be on empowering formerly incarcerated individuals to rejoin the workforce. The coalition's founder, Mary Uhlir, was inspired to start the program after seeing the success of a similar initiative in New Jersey. The coalition's next meeting will be held in late September.
The 14th Annual Upstate S.C. Law Enforcement Memorial Softball Tournament will be held on Aug. 23 at Century Park in Greer. The event, hosted by the Greer Police Department and Gallagher's Heroes Fallen Officer Fund, aims to raise support for the families of fallen officers in the Upstate. The event is free and open to the public.
The Greer Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), joining the city's fire department in achieving the highest standards in their profession. Only 1,300 of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide are CALEA accredited. The department plans to leverage the accreditation to recruit the most qualified people to begin careers in the force.
The Spartanburg County Council has approved the creation of a new position, titled Master Deputy, within the Sheriff's Department to assist with the Sex Offender Registry Unit. The new role will be responsible for address verification for registered sex offenders, and all funding for the position will come from fees generated by the registry. The Council also approved the re-grading of two positions within the Sheriff's department, which is expected to save the county around $17,000 a year. Additionally, the Council approved the Spartanburg County Detention Facility's application for continued funds from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Funds.