Please describe how your agency is structured

The Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs (OHSJP) is a division within the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. In addition to the administration of several state-funded grant programs, the OHSJP is designated as both the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for the state’s formula justice grant programs, as well as the State Highway Safety Office (SHSO) for the state’s highway safety grant program. In addition to the 27 staff members responsible for the programmatic and grants accounting functions of the various grant programs administered by the OHSP, there are approximately 23 others responsible for the following sections: Public Affairs, Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame and Museum, State Traffic Records, Statistical Analysis and Research Section and Law Enforcement Support Services. The South Carolina Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC) is a 10-member Council consisting of the following positions: the Governor’s designee, the Chief of the SC Law Enforcement Division, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee or designee, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee or designee, the Director of the SC Department of Public Safety, a sheriff appointed by the Governor, a municipal police chief appointed by the Governor, a victim representative appointed by the Governor, the Attorney General, and a victim with a documented history of victimization appointed by the Attorney General. The PSCC is responsible for approving the process for solicitations and to review and approve the disbursement of funds as recommended by the OHSJP and the SC Attorney General’s staff. (In 2017, the OHSJP’s Victims Services grant programs were moved to the SC Office of the Attorney General in an effort to consolidate the administration of all Victims Services programs.)

Please list the federal and state grants your agency administers

Federal Grants

• Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program

• JAG Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Grant Program

• Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP)

• OJJDP Title II (Formula) Grant Program

• OJJDP Title II PREA Grant Program

• Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Grant Program

          Fiscal Agent for U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of SC

•  Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program

• Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program Grant

• Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP)

• Highway Safety Grant Program (Section 402 and 405 incentive grants)

 State Grants

• School Resource Officer (SRO) Program

• In-Car Video Camera (ICVC) Grant Program

• Body Worn Camera (BWC) Grant Program

• Body Armor Assistance Grant (BAAG) Program

Please list your top three current priority or focus areas

As the SAA, the OHSJP has the following priority areas:

Law Enforcement Programs that focus on at least one of the following:

1. Narcotics/Gangs/Violent Crime Enforcement (Task Forces and Specialized Investigators)

2. Law Enforcement Training/Equipment

3. Forensic Laboratory training/equipment

Prosecution and Court Programs that focus on one of the following:

1. Specialty courts

2. Gun, violent crime, and gang prosecution

3. Court technologies

Mental Health Programs and related Law Enforcement/Corrections Programs that focus on at least one of the following:

1. Officer wellness/suicide prevention

2. Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT)

In addition to the above priorities, as the SHSO, one of the OHSJP’s top goals is to reduce traffic fatalities. Additionally, the OHSJP shares the Governor’s goal of placing an SRO in every SC school through the administration of the State-Funded SRO Program.

What is the main thing you would like other NCJA members to know about your agency?

Established by the South Carolina legislature in 1993, the mission of the OHSJP is to utilize state and federal resources to educate the public on highway safety issues for the purpose of reducing and eventually eliminating fatal crashes and injuries; to initiate and coordinate statewide education and enforcement campaigns and programs to promote highway safety goals; to partner with law enforcement agencies and others on highway safety initiatives; to serve as a custodian of statewide collision statistics; and to further the administration of justice through improvements to the criminal and juvenile justice systems through the administration of subgrants. In 2024, the OHSJP administered approximately 426 subawards to South Carolina agencies totaling over $91 million in federal and state grant funding.