HGTC Names Crime Scene Investigation Laboratory

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HGTC Names Crime Scene Investigation Laboratory

CSI Laboratory officially named in honor of Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County.

Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) hosted a press conference on Tuesday, June 22 at 10 a.m. to officially name the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Laboratory in honor of the Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County. In 2015, the Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County partnered with Horry-Georgetown Technical College by establishing a $30,000 endowed scholarship for the criminal justice program. Since that time, the Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County has donated $85,000, with a commitment of $100,000 for the endowed scholarship by the end of this year.

“The formal naming of the criminal justice laboratory as the Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County Crime Scene Investigation Laboratory pays homage to our many supporters and will serve as a reminder of our commitment to developing highly trained and educated law enforcement officers serving our citizens and community. We would like to thank our many generous donors over the last nine years who have partnered with the Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County to support our efforts,” said Phillip Thompson, Horry County Sheriff.

The Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County is committed to a vision of the future that ensures quality, integrity, accountability and increased public awareness for the criminal justice field and the support of public safety officers. To achieve this mission, the Foundation provides annual scholarships to highly qualified applicants seeking a career in law enforcement, or a criminal justice related field.

“We are fortunate that the Sheriff's Foundation of Horry County has been a supporter of HGTC and the Criminal Justice program for many years. We are immensely grateful for their continued commitment to the College and the Criminal Justice students in our community. Scholarships are an important financial resource to many HGTC students. A scholarship award is critical to a student who is struggling to pay for tuition or books and supplies. The donations made by the Sheriff’s Foundation have helped and will help numerous students for years to come achieve their goals of attending HGTC and pursuing their Criminal Justice degrees. Many of the highly skilled graduates will proudly serve their local communities whether in law enforcement, the courts, corrections, or juvenile justice,” said Dr. Marilyn Murphy Fore, HGTC President.

HGTC recently announced an exciting new partnership with the SC Criminal Justice Academy that provides an alternate career pathway for entering the field of law enforcement. The program is designed to address the state’s workforce shortage and enhance the policing profession overall. With the aid of the Lottery Tuition Assistance program, Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEERS), and the SC WINS Scholarship, tuition for the new pathway will be mostly covered for participating students.

HGTC began offering the new Pre-Police Academy Training Certificate to the first class on Monday, June 21. This certificate is a four-course program and a great, new pathway to the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. The Police Pre-Academy Certificate Degree will educate and train the next generation of law enforcement officers locally. This is the first step in providing stronger academic candidates, expediting the time for academy completion, and reducing the bottleneck for entering the workforce.

“The original Pre-Academy training that started in 2019 was a coordinated effort with the Horry County Police Department and was highly successful. The training is the foundation of the new certificate program,” said Dr. Dan Wysong, HGTC Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean for Public Service, Education, Business, and Computer Technology.

For more information about the HGTC Criminal Justice Program, please contact Jeff Scott at (843) 349-7140, Larry Muncey at (843) 349-3648, or Dr. Dan Wysong at (843) 349-5326.

Photo (from left to right): Mr. Robert Hucks, HGTC Area Commissioner; Mr. Tommy Branyon, HGTC Area Commission Chairman; Dr. Marilyn Murphy Fore, HGTC President; Dr. Robert Farrar, HGTC Area Commissioner