Bill > S0120

This bill amends South Carolina law to explicitly authorize the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to conduct both state and federal criminal records checks on individuals seeking law enforcement certification. Specifically, the bill requires that individuals seeking certification undergo a state criminal records check through SLED and a national criminal records check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), both supported by fingerprints. SLED and the FBI are permitted to retain these fingerprints for future purposes, including submission to the Next Generation Identification (NGI) program and latent fingerprint searches. The criminal records check results will be reported to the law enforcement training academy but cannot be further shared, and the cost of these background checks will be the responsibility of the certification applicant. This change is part of the existing process for law enforcement officer certification, which already requires extensive background checks, character assessments, and documentation of qualifications such as education, physical fitness, and age requirements. The bill aims to enhance the thoroughness of background screening for potential law enforcement officers by explicitly allowing comprehensive criminal records checks.

Justice

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=120&session=126&summary=B