The SLED Investigative Services Department conducts professional investigations for the purpose of solving crimes and promoting public order within several specialized areas including immediate response with manpower or component services to assist our local, state, and federal partners. Assigned on-call agents within every section ensure an appropriate and timely response to customer requests for service 24/7. The units that comprise Investigative Services are separated into functional areas in order to provide specialized services.

Major Thomas Robertson
Captain Bryan Jones, Executive Officer

Regional Offices

The state is divided into four regions which are responsible for the investigation of crimes including officer involved shootings, in-custody deaths, homicides, criminal sexual conduct, and other crimes of violence. They also investigate public corruption, voter fraud, official misconduct, and other types of white-collar crime.

Low Country Region

Office Location: Walterboro

Counties Served: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper, and Orangeburg

Supervisors: Captain Shaun Harley, Lieutenant Charles Ghent, Lieutenant Matt Brown, Lieutenant Mitch Altman

Midlands Region

Office Location: Columbia

Counties Served: Aiken, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lexington, McCormick, Richland, and Saluda

Supervisors: Interim Captain Kristen Grant, Lieutenant DeQuawn Smith, Lieutenant Lee Blackmon

Pee Dee Region

Office Location: Florence

Counties Served: Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter, and Williamsburg

Supervisors: Captain Glenn Wood, Lieutenant Stephen Howell, Lieutenant Jared Barkdoll, Lieutenant Jacqueline Gause

Piedmont Region

Office Location: Greenville

Counties Served: Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, Union, and York

Supervisors: Captain Todd Ruffner, Lieutenant Daren Vaughn, Lieutenant Melissa Wallace

Behavioral Science

The SLED Behavioral Science Unit provides psychological profiling and threat assessments.

Supervisors: Captain Haley Nelson, Lt. Kimberly Clamp

State Grand Jury & Insurance Fraud

The SLED State Grand Jury Unit is comprised of the Public Corruption Unit and the Insurance Fraud Unit.

The Insurance Fraud Unit consists of Agents and a Program Coordinator whose primary responsibilities are to coordinate with the Department of Insurance (DOI) to investigate cases across the state.

The Public Corruption Unit consists of Agents who are assigned to FBI task forces, and/or investigate a combination of State Grand Jury cases, public corruption cases, white-collar crimes, and securities fraud complaints.

The SLED Agent assigned to the Department of Employment and Workforce (SC DEW) conducts complex unemployment fraud investigations. This Agent coordinates with SC DEW attorneys and analysts to identify and prosecute unemployment fraud.

The State Grand Jury Unit also includes Social Security Fraud, which investigates fraudulent disability claims under SSA’s Title II and Title XVI (SSI and SSDI) programs and usually begin with referrals from local law enforcement agencies or the SSA’s Office of Disability Adjudication.  

Supervisor: Captain Jeremy Smith, Lt. Joe Neff

Polygraph Unit

The SLED Polygraph Unit supports the investigative needs of local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies through the use of state-of-the-art equipment and time-tested polygraph examination techniques in order to determine the truthfulness or attempted deception of criminal suspects and witnesses. The Polygraph Unit also conducts pre-employment and criminal polygraph examinations. 

The Polygraph Unit also regulates polygraph licensure for government examiners and private examiners for the State of South Carolina. The Polygraph Unit assists government polygraph examiners by providing internships and training to elevate the expertise of these examiners to the highest level possible.

The Polygraph Unit only provides polygraph exams at the request of government agencies.

Supervisor: Lieutenant Caitlin McPherson-Bryant

Law Enforcement Victim Advocates Unit

SLED's Law Enforcement Victim Advocates (LEVA) Unit consists of two LEVAs who provide support and advocacy for victims with the goal of reducing traumatization, reducing reoccurrences of revictimization, and maximizing case results for prosecution, while honoring and protecting state and federal rights of crime victims.  LEVAs provide crisis intervention, on-scene response, and emergency assistance with securing safe housing or coordinating crime scene cleanup and/or necessary household repairs.

LEVAs provide victims with information about the criminal justice process and victim rights including how to obtain notifications, referrals to other victim service programs, and referrals to other services, supports, and resources.  They assist the victim in filing for crime victims’ compensation and locating other funding options to help with    financial needs.

Supervisor: Lead LEVA Riley Gayle

Financial Fraud Unit

SLED Agents assigned to the Financial Fraud Unit assist other SLED Agents, as well as partner law enforcement officers and prosecuting attorneys by conducting the examination of complex financial investigations and provides knowledge of accounting and financial practices, securities, and banking laws.

Supervisor: Captain Bryan Jones, Executive Officer

Special Victims Unit

The SLED Special Victims Unit (SVU) is comprised of the Department of Child Fatalities (DCF), the Forensic Art Unit (FAU), the Vulnerable Adults Investigations Unit (VAIU), and SLED Forensic Interviewers.

Supervisors: Captain Trista Baird and Administrative Lieutenant Will Thrasher

The Department of Child Fatalities conducts investigations on all deaths in the state of children (under the age of 18) that are the result of violence, in any suspicious or unusual manner, or when the death is unexpected or unexplained. Agents are available 24/7 and can be requested by calling 803-896-7033 or 803-737-9000.

Supervisors: Lieutenant Amye Stivender and Lieutenant April Sykes

The Forensic Art Unit provides expert forensic artistry to support law enforcement investigations. The services include composite sketches based on victim and witness descriptions, forensic facial approximations, postmortem illustrations to identify unknown remains, and age progressions for missing persons and fugitive updates. Agents are available 24/7 and can be requested by email forensic_art@sled.sc.gov or calling 803-896-7033.

Supervisor: Lieutenant Will Thrasher

The Vulnerable Adults Investigations Unit investigates vulnerable adult deaths, neglect, abuse, and exploitation cases that occur in facilities operated by the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD) – Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (OIDD), formerly Department of Disabilities and Special Needs; and BHDD – Office of Mental Health (OMH), formerly Department of Mental Health  The VAIU also operates the 24/7 Vulnerable Adult Hotline (1-866-200-6066) and investigates, or coordinates the referral of, all reports of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults in facilities operated, or contracted for operation, by OIDD or OMH. 

Supervisor: Lieutenant Sabrina Fellers

Designated Agents can conduct forensic interviews of juveniles for local law enforcement agencies, the Department of Social Services, and SLED at Children’s Advocacy Centers across the state.

Supervisor: Captain Trista Baird

Training Unit

The SLED Training Unit conducts, develops, and facilitates training for Sworn Special Agents and Division employees, to include annual training in firearms, de-escalation, and defensive tactics. The Training Unit also conducts complex analysis of incidents, use of force cases, and changing trends to provide updated quality training programs.

The Unit provides training for all SLED K9s in apprehension, tracking, narcotics, arson, and bomb disciplines.  This includes initial training, monthly maintenance, and annual recertifications of all SLED K9s, as well as K9s from agencies across South Carolina.

The Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) instructional program is also under the Training Unit and facilitates free CWP classes in every county of the State of South Carolina every month.

Supervisors: Captain Brian Truex, Lt. John Hiatt, Lt. Kevin Butler

Vehicle Crimes Unit

The Vehicle Crimes Unit is a specialized unit within the Investigative Services Division and consists of Special Agents assigned in all four regions of the state. Agents assigned to the Vehicle Crimes Unit typically investigate the theft of motor vehicles and heavy equipment, identify burned/chopped/unidentifiable vehicles, investigate chop shops, scrap and salvage yards, vehicle theft rings, and all criminal acts originating at the SC Department of Motor Vehicles (driver’s license fraud, vehicle title fraud, and car dealership fraud). 

Supervisors: Captain Kevin Ellis, Lt. Christopher Cestare,