Open Letter

Fundraiser for K09 memorial underway

Many law enforcement agencies in South Carolina use K-9’s for a myriad of services. That wasn’t always the case.

In 1947, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division was the first agency by helping the state’s local Sheriff and Police Departments by using K-9’s that SLED maintained. Since that time many agencies have used K-9‘s and sadly, there have been seven K-9’s that suffered line of duty deaths.

In 2023 and 2024 SLED had two K-9’s killed in the line of duty. These losses hit the SLED family, both current and former members of the agency, hard. Other local agencies have had similar K-9 line of duty deaths.

Now nearly 80 years since its K-9 services began, the Society of Former Agents (SOFA) and the Foundation of Former Employees of SLED have begun a campaign to raise voluntary donations for a memorial in Columbia to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those K-9’s. Our Society and Foundation plan to gift to SLED a K-9 Memorial to not only honor those who died in the line of duty and recognize the exemplary service of all K-9’s from every unit that has K-9 specialists.

The Society of Former Agents of SLED and the Foundation of Former Employees of SLED is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. All voluntary donations are tax deductible and go directly to the project. No state funds are being used for this project.

More information about SOFA and the Foundation is at http://socxsled.org

Best,
Thom W. Berry

Berry is a SOFA member and a retired Special Agent with SLED, having served as a sworn law enforcement officer and state government public information officer for more than 35 years at SLED and the former Department of Health and Environmental Control.