Popular law enforcement leader and former National Sheriff of the Year takes oath of office, again
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
For the eighth-consecutive time since 1997, Leon Lawson Lott raised his right hand and was re-sworn as sheriff of Richland County, Tuesday morning, Jan. 7 at the Richland County Courthouse in downtown Columbia, South Carolina. The oath of office was administered by the Honorable Daniel McLeod Coble, resident judge for S.C.’s 5th Judicial Circuit.
Sheriff Lott was sworn-in using a well-worn King James version of the Bible, a Christmas gift from his father in 1964 and the same Bible with which he was administered the oath of office during his previous seven swearing-in ceremonies.
The Tuesday ceremony was attended by several hundred guests including senior law enforcement leaders (chiefs of police from other Midlands-area LE agencies), the Columbia-Richland County fire chief, local pastors, the adjutant general of South Carolina, other general-officers and military leaders, state legislators, several judges, solicitors, other attorneys, representatives of both Columbia City Council and Richland County Council, the Mayor of Columbia and a former mayor, City of Columbia police officers, scores of deputy sheriffs with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) and RCSD administrative employees, members of the media, friends, and family.
Exuberant cheers followed Lott’s swearing-in after which Lott expressed gratitude for all of those attending and the overwhelming 82-percent of Richland County voters who reelected him for an eighth term.
“Wow! Twenty-eight years ago when I was first sworn-in it was very humbling and exciting,” said Lott. “Eight elections later and 28 years, it’s still the same. It’s still very exciting and humbling to be here.”
Lott added: “This is my family [pointing to his immediate family members in the first two rows]. But this is also my family sitting out here [waving his hand across the expansive Courtroom]. This is the community that has supported me for all these years.”
Speaking without prepared remarks or notes, Lott briefly discussed the “journey” of his career since being first sworn-in as a deputy 50 years ago. “I never thought this journey would be where it is now,” he said. “It’s been a great journey. The journey continues, and it’s not over with by any means whatsoever.”
Lott, 71, said he has no intention of retiring though he is often asked when he might consider such.
“God’s blessed me with a strong body and a strong mind,” said Lott. “As long as I have both of those, I am going to continue this journey.
Lott then shared the story of his father’s gift of his Bible. “It’s an old and tattered Bible,” he said. “I think, as you see, it represents me. It’s old. If you look on the outside you’ll see how much it’s been used over the years, but when you open it up, the words and the message are still the same. They haven’t changed. Like me. Physically on the outside I’ve changed over the years. But just as the inside of this Bible has not changed, my drive and love of being a cop and being the Sheriff has not changed.”
Lott concluded his remarks with a mentioning of the 28-year-old RCSD slogan: Building Unity in the Community.
“Look in this room,” Lott said. “Look at how everybody looks different, different cultures, just different but we are all together. This is what ‘Unity in the Community’ is all about. When we can come together like we are now and when we continue to come together, there’s no stopping what we can do as a community.”
The swearing-in ceremony was followed by a second and a third ceremony later in the afternoon and the following day wherein hundreds of currently sworn deputies were also re-sworn (460 deputy sheriffs on Jan. 7 and another 300-plus deputies on January 8) as they were following each of Sheriff Lott’s taking of the oath-of-office for a new term.
– Photograph by Master Deputy Allie Salrin and Deputy Jay Weaver, both with RCSD’s Office of Public Information.
