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by ANDY FANCHER
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At least ten officers have been removed from a Lowcountry police department following an internal investigation that uncovered alleged cheating on a South Carolina state law enforcement certification exam.
For starters…
Palmetto State law enforcement officers must pass examinations administered by the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA) — the agency which governs both basic law enforcement certification and additional certifications tied to specific law enforcement functions.
It goes without saying officers are required to be truthful as a condition of their employment, including during any certification process. Unfortunately, for the Mount Pleasant Police Department (MPPD), that baseline appears to have been ignored by multiple officers during an unspecified certification process.
According to police chief Mark Arnold, the issue came to light during an internal affairs investigation into “possible cheating” on an SCCJA test.
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“As a result of the initial investigation, two officers were terminated,” Arnold wrote in a statement provided to FITSNews on Friday. “Information obtained after that investigation prompted an additional internal investigation.”
This subsequent investigation found that eight additional officers had “provided and received” test answers, according to Arnold.
Despite those officers being “cooperative throughout the investigative process,” Arnold confirmed they were “separated” from the department. He did not disclose the nature of those separations or whether they involved findings of misconduct.
A follow-up request seeking clarification on those separations went unanswered.
Instead, Arnold said the separations are subject to appeal through the SCCJA.
“The Mount Pleasant Police Department will not be making any further statements at this time,” he concluded.
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Although the officers who allegedly cheated are no longer employed by the department, it remains unclear what, if any, implications the findings could have beyond their separation — including for past arrests or prosecutions.
The cheating probe is the latest incident to place MPPD back in the headlines.
Last August, Mount Pleasant police arrested a now-former Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputy on an indecent exposure charge. Earlier that summer, MPPD responded to yet another incident involving the former Sullivan’s Island police chief who was central to our “Pervert on Patrol” series.
Months earlier, a now former Mount Pleasant police officer was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Those cases are unrelated to the certification probe.
Write to Andrew Fancher at andy@fitsnews.com.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
6 comments
Sounds like the Chief may be the problem. He sets the tone and culture of the department and it doesn’t seem like he’s doing a great job. Maybe he needs to go
Same department that is hiding the truth behind Molly Wrazen’s murder. Honesty and doing the right thing doesn’t come easy around Mt P.
Was this a question of officers “cheating” because they didn’t know the answers to a test and felt they needed to cheat to pass it; or was it a case of them just trying to get past a mundane right of passage, so to speak, so they could get back to doing their actual jobs? The former, is what most think of when cheating is mentioned and has the connotation of someone cheating because they lack, or believe they lack, the competency or ability to pass a required test. That would be on an order similar to having a sheet with the answers printed on it hidden while taking the test, or having answers written on your arm and going to the bathroom to review them. Such a practice is looked upon with disdain for good and obvious reasons.
The latter, IMHO, is done to save time and has a far less negative connotation.
Prior to about 1992 or 93, in our state, if someone made it through the Police Academy, they were deemed certified as a police officer for life. They could quit, get out of police work for several years, decide they wanted back in, and get easily hired almost anywhere in the state because they were already certified and a prospective department could put them to work without having to pay them for 8, 10, 12, or however many weeks without getting any actual use out of them while they were at the Academy. All of that changed around Christmas of 1991 or 1992, when a dumbass rookie Richland County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed his training officer and partner while fighting with a large male mental subject. The deputies were not issued batons, mace, or any secondary or less-lethal weapons by then Sheriff, Allen Sloan.
Starting to lose the struggle, the rookie and military veteran attempted to pistol whip the combative individual with his finger on the trigger of his issued revolver.
As he struck the man, his revolver discharged and the bullet hit and killed his partner. It was a very preventable tragedy that should have never happened, especially by a former service member with any level of firearms training or familiarity, but it did.
Panic and knee-jerk reactions from the “Law Enforcement Training Council” set in. In short order, everything changed. As I seem to recall, uncertified cops could no longer work the streets for a year prior to attending the Academy. Yearly “re-certification” standards were put in place. Cops had to have documented X-number of hours of “training” each year, with a grand total number of hours under their belt at the end of each three year period, or they would lose their certification, which was no longer a lifetime thing.
Much of the acceptable “annual training” consisted of watching hours of mind-numbing videos on everything from “search and seizure” to “Criminal Domestic Violence” explored, dissected, pontificated, and endlessly discussed in every way imaginable and some which were not imaginable. Sometimes, there were tests. Failure to pass a test was not a career ender, but you had to re-watch the videos and re-test until you passed it. Such would be mental torture. Passing the test in no way guaranteed that you would retain this mind-numbing deluge of information or that it would come to you on a call when you might actually think about that topic you just watched for hours as your butt developed a flat place from sitting at a desk or table, watching it. You had to pass the test because “Simon says” you must pass it before going back to work.
This is not the first time that such a “scandal” has befallen a department in our state and it certainly will not be the last. Everybody is quick to try and make this particular incidents, as well as ones that preceded it, into some “lack of integrity” epidemic or worse. I doubt that it is. Chiefs, Sheriffs, and others will no doubt, throw officers under the bus to avoid even a hint of this “scandal” tainting their virginal reputation.
I think it is just a case of people who were bored almost to tears, trying to expedite a “going through the motions” process so they can get back to work and do what they are paid to do. They passed the Academy, something that at one time would have been all that was required of them to keep their job, save for the actions of a dumbass rookie. The add-ons he caused, likely even several generations later, are just going through the motions. In some cases, they might enjoy exploring the creative mindset necessary to expedite the boring mandatory training process so they can return to duty. Nothing to do with “lack of integrity”, “dishonesty”, or the like. If you were in a store that was being robbed, at your home while it is being burglarized, or in some other situation where you want to see blue lights, ten minutes ago, would you rather the closest cops were coming to you, or watching a brain-smoothing video on some topic the cop has likely heard covered dozens of times already?
For you Vestal Virgins out there, intent on making this a lifetime integrity issue for involved cops, have you never fast-forwarded through a boring mandatory training video that corporate or HR required you to view, so you could get back to the pile of work on your desk, or even go to lunch because you are starving? This is really no different.
To: “Glad you don’t work on the job anymore”
From: I am glad too!
Maybe some extra training would help all circumstances where a bit of training in de-escalation could save lives. When you think you know everything is when it’s time to quit.
To: I am glad too!
From: Make that me three!!
Re: Glad you don’t work on the job anymore
Kind of you to share that insight. I love the irony of the concision of your reply to such a well thought out comment (regardless of how anyone might feel about its substance).
Training “can” be good. It can also, and too frequently is, no good. “Training” for the sake of training, with no clear cut purpose or goal is often nothing more than a waste of time and a creator of frustration. Many of those Academy produced or sanctioned videos fell firmly into the latter category. I recall one, circulating in February of 2006 that was in the latter category. Too many of those Academy produced or sanctioned training videos seemed to have as a requisite, that while there may have been between five and fifteen minutes of useful information in it, the video lasted a minimum of one, two, or more hours. In other words, you had to sit through these videos for one or more hours, and pick out the fifteen or fewer minutes of useable, useful information while supressing the urge to let out a primal scream or engage in acts of self harm to escape the seemingly endless drivel. (hyperbolic statement)
The one that sticks in my mind from 2006, had this old psychobabble, social worker, mealy-mouthed hag talking about the negative impact of Criminal Domestic Violence on children. As I seem to recall, that video dragged on for three or more hours as she droned on in a monotone that would have put a PCP user with a fresh fix to sleep. It was horrible. Instead of just stating stuff that was actually useful in a concise format, like “CDV incidents negatively impact children. It can cause nightmares, social withdrawal, forms of PTSD, etc. You need to be aware of this and get resources for children thusly impacted. Resources are … and can be contacted …”, she droned on for hours. This benefits no one. It fosters resentment for time wasted, unnecessary boredom inflicted, and a knee jerk rejection of the few useful ideas allegedly conveyed or attempted to be conveyed. If you ever sat through some of this, you would understand.