Sheriff of the Year

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is a 43-year career law enforcement officer who leads one of the largest sheriff's offices in the southeastern United States. Often referred to as "America' s Law Enforcement Agency," Sheriff Lott has caused the nearly 1,000-employee Richland County Sheriff's Department (RCSD) to be recognized as “one of the most creatively innovative, bridge-building law enforcement leaders in the nation.” In so doing, Sheriff Lott has consistently enhanced the reputation of the sheriff’s office locally, statewide, and on a national level, as well as internationally.  RCSD is one of the regularly featured law enforcement agencies on the A&E television series, LIVE PD, and is the only one that has been with the program since it first aired in Oct. 2016. In 2010, Lott traveled to Erbil, Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help that war-torn country establish its first-ever female police academy. RCSD continues its strong relationship and an officer exchange program with Iraq, as it does with other foreign law enforcement agencies and U.S. military forces domestically. Under Sheriff Lott's leadership, RCSD was the first law enforcement agency in the nation to establish a pre­PTSD conditioning program for deputies and other officers. This training is mandatory for all RCSD deputies.

Sheriff Lott also commands the South Carolina State Guard at the rank of brigadier general, is a member of the USO Advisory Council, is the President of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers’ Association, serves on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics, serves on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Correctional Association, serves on the Board of Directors of D.A.R.E. America, is on the Washington DC-based Advisory Committee of Fight Crime-Invest in Kids, serves on the Advisory Board of Communities in Schools, serves on the Indian Waters Council of the Boy Scouts of America, serves as  the Chairman of the South Carolina Public Safety Coordinating Council, serves on the Advisory Board of the South Carolina Police Corps, is Chairman of the Local Government Division of the United Way, is the Industry Leader of the American Heart Association, is the Chairman of the March of Dimes Luxury Lockup, serves as the Division Chair of the American Red Cross, is on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Center for Family Policy, serves on the Advisory Council for the South Carolina Council for Conflict Resolution, is on the Advisory Board of the Cooperative Ministry, is a member of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity, Spring Valley Rotary Club, National Safety Council, National Federation for the Blind, and the Greater Columbia Community Relations Council.

Sheriff Lott has been a member of the National Sheriffs’ Association for 23 years and currently serves on the Board of Directors. Sheriff Lott’s RCSD regularly produces magazine articles that serve the needs of law enforcement agencies nationwide for Sheriff & Deputy, the official publication of NSA.

Previous Winners

2020 John "Big John" Williams, Sr. - Lowndes County, AL (posthumously)

2019  Robert Gualtieri - Pinella County, FL

2018  Keith Cain - Daviess County, KY

2017  Mike Brown - Bedford County, VA

2016  Michael J. Bouchard - Oakland County, MI

2015  John Lenhart - Shelby County, OH

2014  Doug Gillespie - Clark County, NV

2013   Leroy Baca - Los Angeles County, CA

2012   Paul D. Laney - Cass County, ND

2011   Paul Babeu - Pinal County, AZ

2010   Jerry "Peanuts" Gaines - Warren County, KY

2009   Mark H. Luttrell, Jr. - Shelby County, TN

2008   John Cary Bittick - Monroe County, GA

2007   Edmund M. "Ted" Sexton, Sr. - Tuscaloosa County, AL

2006   Joseph W. Oxley - Monmouth County, NJ

2005   Patrick McGowan - Hennepin County, MN

2004   Dave Reichert - King County, WA

2003   Kevin Beary - Orange County, FL

2002   Bob Garvey - North Hampton, MA

2001   Patrick Sullivan, Jr. - Arapahoe County, CO

2000   Stanley Glanz - Tulsa County, OK

1999   Bill Hutson - Cobb County, GA

1998   Tim Hutchison - Knox County, TN

1997   John R. Newhart - City of Chesapeake, VA

1996   Charles A. Fuselier - St. Matin Parish, LA

1995   Bob E. Rice - Polk County, WI