DPH Salutes Law Enforcement Agents on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jan. 9, 2025
COLUMBIA, S.C. ― January 9 is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and the South Carolina Department Public Health (DPH) would like to thank the agency’s law enforcement agents – and all members of law enforcement – during this important day of recognition.
Inspectors within DPH’s Bureau of Drug Control, known as drug control agents, are pharmacists who have undergone training through the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy to become state law enforcement officers.
The Bureau of Drug Control serves a regulatory role and enforces the South Carolina Controlled Substances Act. Agents monitor controlled-substance activity in South Carolina by conducting regulatory inspections, audits and answering questions from health care providers and the public.
“Our drug control agents are dedicated to making South Carolina a safer place to live, work and play,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, Interim DPH Director. “While the observance of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day provides us with an opportunity to thank them for their service, we appreciate their commitment to our state every day.”
DPH’s drug control agents conduct more than 1,800 onsite inspections at pharmacies, hospitals and practitioners’ offices that prescribe, administer, possess or dispense controlled substances annually. Agents ensure they are properly recording, storing and handling controlled substances.
DPH receives 750 to 1,000 complaints each year involving the diversion of controlled substances from legal outlets. Following investigations by drug control agents, about half of those complaints result in the arrest and prosecution of individuals in state or federal court. Their work helps to mitigate the drug crisis across South Carolina.
Agents also assist federal, state and local law enforcement divisions with investigations of controlled substance diversion cases and partner with state licensing agencies on diversion investigations involving licensed health care practitioners.
“On behalf of the agency, I’d like to thank our law enforcement partners across the state and nation for their dedication to public service and to the protection of our residents and communities,” Simmer said.
Learn more about the roles and responsibilities of DPH’s law enforcement officers on the agency’s Drug Control webpage.
###
Tags
DPH Salutes Law Enforcement Agents on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
View AllTUESDAY MEASLES UPDATE: DPH Reports 29 New Measles Cases, Bringing Outbreak total to 876; New Case in Pee Dee Region, Additional Public Exposures Identified
Read Full ArticleFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Feb. 3, 2026COLUMBIA, S.C. ― The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is reporting 29 new cases of measles in the state since Friday, bringing the total number of cases in South Carolina related to the Upstate outbreak to 876.
-
Rabid Skunk Confirmed in Anderson County; 19 Livestock Exposed
Read Full ArticleFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Feb. 2, 2026COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed that a skunk found near Hiott Road and Lakewood Lane in Anderson, S.C., has tested positive for rabies. No people are known to have been exposed at this time. One calf was directly exposed and multiple cows had potential exposure. It is rare that rabies is transmitted from one cow to another within a herd; however, out of an abundance of caution, the calf will be confined away from the herd, and the remaining cows will be observed for 180 days.
-
DPH Stands Down Winter Storm Triage Line; Care Line Resumes Normal Hours
Read Full ArticleFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Feb. 1, 2026COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is standing down its winter storm-related Triage Line for Medical Equipment Power Shelters eligibility and resuming normal hours of the agency’s Care Line (1-855-472-3432) as of 2 p.m. today.
Both services have been operating 24 hours a day since Jan. 31.
The Care Line will resume its normal operating hours of Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
-
DPH Confirms Two Additional Winter Storm-Related Deaths in South Carolina, Bringing Total to Six
Read Full ArticleCorrection: All four previous deaths have been included.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jan. 31, 2026COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is announcing two additional deaths confirmed as being related to the winter storm that swept through the state this past weekend, bringing the total number of storm-related fatalities to six.