Inside the Police Academy: How SC Officers Get Trained

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — Danielle Randolph has spent a lifetime preparing to be a police officer.

“I‘ve had a burning itch my whole life to be in law enforcement or military,” the Charleston native said.

She grew up with a father who did both. Now, 29-year-old Randolph said she had lessons to share with her own son.

“Once he sees his mommy is in law enforcement, he won‘t think the stereotypical ‘police are bad.‘ He‘s going to think, ‘Hey, my mommy‘s a police officer. She‘s great,‘” she said.

Her aim now is to be a deputy with the Charleston County Sheriff‘s Office.

But the course hasn‘t always been easy.

“Growing up where I grew up downtown, I went to Burke High School, people were always saying, ‘The police are bad. Don‘t talk to them,‘” she said.

A tough neighborhood was only the beginning.

“I wanted to do it after college when I was 21 or 22. I got married young. I had my son who is now four. I was going to do it then. Then I found out I had breast cancer,” she said.

The cancer was already stage three. At age 26, Randolph had a double mastectomy.

“Like a dream deferred,” she said.

But she was still alive. Now, three years later, Randolph is at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.

But while she waited, her profession changed. Incidents between citizens and officers made headlines nationwide and in the Lowcountry; like cellphone video showing North Charleston Police officer Michael Slager shooting and killing Walter Scott.

“It‘s not good right now that the public eye is viewed in on law enforcement. But us coming out as new officers, maybe we can curb that thought and say, ‘Hey, we‘re not here as your enemy. We‘re here to help,'” Randolph said.

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She said instructors talk about recent issues, like the cellphone videos showing a Richland County school resource officer getting physical with a student.

“There could‘ve been ways it could‘ve been prevented. But we don‘t know exactly what happened. What officers here are teaching us is every situation is different,” she said.

Kevin Butler is one of those instructors. He said anecdotes at the academy do address current events, but the official curriculum is slow to change.

“You‘re talking six to eight months‘ worth of a process to change something in a lesson plan,” Butler said. “As far as teaching tomorrow what happened in current events today, it just doesn‘t happen that quickly.”

But what about general concepts like communication or deciding when to fire?

We looked at the Firearms Training System, better known as FATS.

But different instructors said they taught differing ways.

“You can set the scenario up for a de-escalation scenario to teach them to where you might‘ve gotten amped up, on edge, by what the suspect is saying to you. But the answer is to de-escalate that situation versus always resorting to force,” Butler said.

“As far as de-escalation, I would give verbal commands,” instructor Michael Baker said. “If they‘re not listening to a lawful order and I‘m presenting them with deadly force, it‘s back on them. We teach to shoot to stop the threat.”

Baker said that priority meant any shot from a police officer could be deadly.

“We stay away from shooting limbs because that‘s a very small target,” he said. “Your fine motor skill starts to nose dive once your heart beat gets over 145 beats per second. In a situation like this, it‘s going to be higher than that.”

Officers said they balanced teaching self-defense with public service.
“If it‘s not something you‘re called to do, that‘s in your heart, if you just approach it as a job, you won’t last,” Butler said.

It‘s a risk, but Randolph knows it‘s not only in her blood, but also in her heart.

“You never know the power of communication if you open your mouth and say, ‘I need help.’ We’re just here. Whether good or bad, [police] are here,” she said.

She said all she wanted was to become Deputy Randolph and someone her son could be proud to call mom.