Beaufort County’s P.J. Tanner has dealt with one of his busiest years ever as the county’s top law enforcement ofcer. His eforts were rewarded in July when the South Carolina Sherif ’s Association named him the state’s Sherif of the Year.
Tanner was awarded the honor during the association’s 27th annual Training and Business Conference featuring 42 sherifs from around the state. He was recognized for establishing “an array of innovative programs” including a regional drug analysis lab, an automated fngerprint identifcation system and a Homeland Security Level One Certifcate S WAT Team, the association said.
Tanner created two new in-house programs, SMART and Fresh Start, to target at-risk youth. The group said the programs have enjoyed growing success with youths and parents. Tanner was also honored for passing temporary tag laws, which deal with newly-sold motor vehicles, and implementing a multi-jurisdictional drug task force.
“This is one of the best law enforcement relationship builders and intelligence gathering concepts that (have) been put in place to date,” the association said in a statement.
