South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy

06/10/2026

On behalf of South Carolina Criminal Justice Director, Chief Jackie Swindler and all of the academy staff, we would like to congratulate Basic Detention class #488 om their completion of the Basic Detention Academy.

Graduation ceremony will be held Friday, June 12, 2026, at 10:00 am at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy located on 5400 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29212. If you cannot make the graduation in person, you can watch the ceremony live right here on this page. The live feed will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Again, congratulations to Basic Detention Class #488. We appreciate your dedication and hard work.

06/10/2026

Congratulations to Captain Jeremy Messinger on completing the Certified Public Management Course offered through the South Carolina Department of Administration.

The CPM program is a management development program for managers and supervisors in SC state government.

Here at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, Instructors are encouraged to keep training and seek out educational opportunities that help develop them into future leaders.

Congratulations Captain Messinger.

06/05/2026

06/04/2026

Congratulations to Basic Law Enforcement Class # 857! Tomorrow 36 cadets will graduate from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and join previous graduates in this extraordinary career. On behalf of SCCJA Director Swindler and the academy staff thank you for your hard work and dedication.

Graduation will take place tomorrow at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy located at 5400 Broad River Road, Columbia SC. 29212 at 10:00 am. If you cannot make the graduation in person, be sure to watch the graduation live right here on this page. The live stream will begin at 10:00 am.

The guest speaker for the commencement will be Chief Ron Comacho, North Charleston Police Chief. Chief Camacho has more than 30 years in law enforcement. Chief Comacho began his career at the York City Police Department. After retiring in 2013, Chief Comacho served internationally a police advisor in Afghanistan and later as the in-country Deputy Program Manager in Mexico. In 2016, Chief Comacho served as Police Chief of Chambersburg Police Department. Under his command the department earned national recognition in the 2023 Police Magazine for his successful wellness initiatives and was also feature in the Police Chief Magazine for its successful citizen advisory committee and community-centered policing strategies.

Chief Comacho is a published author. He holds a doctorate in Criminal Justice from Pennsylvania Western University. Chief Comacho continues to promote his mission today as a performance coach for Performance Protocol.

06/04/2026

Yesterday was Wednesday. And guess what happens on Wednesdays here at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy? If you guessed Physical Ability Test (PAT), you guessed right!

About 20 recruits from departments around the state will be joining the new basic law enforcement class that will begin Sunday June 8th.

The PAT is the last requirement recruits need to pass in order to reserve their seat in a BLE class. Congratulations to all that passed!

05/22/2026

05/21/2026

The South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy Director, Jackie Swindler and staff, would like to congratulate graduating Basic Law Enforcement class #856. It may seem a bit uncanny to celebrate, especially on the eve of Memorial Day Weekend. A day when we remember law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. But, here at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy we appreciate these brave men and women who felt the desire to protect and serve in their communities knowing that they may pay a very high price.

Graduation will take place tomorrow, May 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy located at 5400 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC, 29212. If you cannot make the graduation in person, you can watch the graduation live on FACEBOOK, on this page starting at 10:00 a.m.

The guest speaker for graduation will be Chief Chris Watts, Chief of Rock Hill Police Department. Chief Watts has been with the Rock Hill Police Department for 37 years, the last 13 years has been as Chief. Over the years, Chief Watts has served in multitude of assignments to include patrol lieutenant, captain of support services and SWAT team leader, to name a few.

Chief Watts has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Anderson University, and he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Chief Watts is the Chair for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation Council, and he serves as Vice President for the South Carolina Police Chiefs Association.

Again, we would like to congratulate Basic Law Enforcement Class #856. Best of luck in this extraordinary career.

05/14/2026

South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy Director, Jackie Swindler, and staff would like to extend our congratulations to graduating basic detention class #487.We appreciate your hard work during the last three weeks.

The graduation will take place at 10:00 am. tomorrow May 15, 2026, at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. Located at 5400 Broad River Road. Columbia, SC 29212. If you can't make the graduation, you can watch the ceremony live right here on this FACEBOOK page. The live stream will begin at 10:00 am.

The guest speaker for the graduation will be Tripp Crosby, Administrator for Abbeville Co. Detention Center. Tripp Crosby began is law enforcement career at Greenwood Polic Department in 2009. In 2013, Tripp started working with the Abbeville County Sheriff's Department. At the sheriff's department Tripp held several job titles including Deputy, Criminal Investigator, Patrol Supervisor and Uniform Patrol Captain. In 2023 Tripp took over responsibility as the Jail Administrator for the Detention Center. As a law enforcement professional, Tripp values teamwork, initiative and hard work.

Again, Congratulations to the graduating basic detention class #487.