7 officers inducted into SC Law Enforcement Hall of Fame

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — The South Carolina Law Enforcement Hall of Fame now has seven new members.

According to the Hall of Fame Administrator Jim McClary, inductees must have a proven record of excellence and a minimum of 25 years of service.

Fellow officers, family, and friends gathered to honor the newest inductees — bringing the total number of hall of famers to 49.

Former Director Flora Brooks Boyd began working for the SC Department of Juvenile Justice in 1973 and graduated from the very academy she received the award in today– 50 years later.

“I started as a Correctional Officer at the women’s prison because women couldn’t work any place else, but it was a good opportunity to start there.”

After years at the Department of Corrections, Brooks Boyd says she thought she was pretty tough — having dealt with several notorious criminals in South Carolina.

“But when I was appointed to be the Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, all that toughness went away, and all I saw were these children who needed an opportunity. And so it’s like I prepared myself all these other years just for juvenile justice. And we were able to make some tremendous changes in that organization so I’m very proud of that,” says Brooks Boyd.

Former Chief A.G. Dantzler began working with the Cayce Department of Public Safety in 1959.

“I never thought I’d see a day like this. It’s an honor to receive the Hall of Fame. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d be standing in this building today, receiving that honor,” says Dantzler.

Dantzler reflected on his long career in service, saying, “Well I had a good bunch of fellows and girls, and I was just proud I could get them all through without anybody getting hurt at the time, and they were just good to work with. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Five other officers — Captain J.C. Pace, Major McKinley Mack Weaver, Sheriff A. Lewis McCarty, Unit Chief M. Bruce Jernigan, and Sheriff Woodrow C. Carter — were awarded for their service posthumously.

The SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame is located on the campus of the SC Criminal Justice Academy, and is overseen by the SC Department of Public Safety. The Hall of Fame was established in 1974.