Tell me about Richland Co. sheriff / SCSG commander Leon Lott. Also, is anyone here a member of the SCSG and your thoughts on the group and its leadership.

The Sheriff showed up in-person at the Richland courthouse after a bond revocation hearing in October 2022 related to my neighborhood getting shot up.  Long story short, a soft on crime judiciary put us and his deputies in danger by bonding out and not monitoring a certain offender with an increasingly violent record.  The Sheriff and his patrol region chain of command worked well with us, albeit told us some white lies to protect their investigation that reached into Newberry County and Lexington County.  Like the offenders not being jailed yet and another shooting or attempted shooting happening.  Can't remember the timeline at the moment.  

The Sheriff in 2006 slow-walked a drug investigation in the neighborhood.  Pressure was applied through the local state rep to look at the situation harder.  The Sheriff did share with those addresses nearby, who made reports of the drug dealing activity, pictures of the eventual bust via letter sent USPS.  The amount of pills and weed pulled from that house was beyond what RCSD investigators were claiming to be a low-level dealer.

I can't comment to his organizational leadership, other than what service I've received as a taxpayer.

eta.  Can't comment to current SCSG leadership.  They really weren't up to coordinating citizen volunteers during the 2015 Columbia flood.  They seemed to have been shamed into allowing citizens to assist them.  Disorganized.  Big club and you're not in it vibe.  Sent volunteers on snipe hunts (no activity the location) and then had them show up only to be sent home multiple days.  Better volunteer coordination, amongst those who visited SCSG, was eventually found through churches and food banks.

Thanks Mitch. I am trying to guage how the guard may be used in unusual circumstances. I know we are talking NG vs SG with an issue like Texas and the border with Lott listed on the D ticket and BG of the state guard I wonder what his tendencies would be in a fed vs. SC situation. I think the SG can only be spun up by order of the governor. Is this correct?

Worked there. Seriously unimpressed and not a fan. Big ego, little man.

Not unusual. I worked for one of those way back. Our current sheriff is top notch. But more specifically, where do you think he would stand on a state vs. fed issue?

Based on how he took the 2020 FBI "boogaloo" mis-characterization without question and played a role in allowing antifa to wreck downtown Columbia, I suspect he's total Club Fed.

In my opinion, He's a Democrat and a true politician.  Whatever would benefit him the most.

Much as I hate to give him any props, he was actually pretty good on that. That fiasco belonged ENTIRELY to the previous mayor and city council.
The new people seem to be head and shoulers better.

Come on now, every narcotics officer in the eighties wanted to be Sonny Crockett, mullet and all; most moved on though.  

ETA- I've never had any personal issues with him but definitely agree with the "politician" part.  I don't know if he still does but he used to sign off on NFA stuff (he signed off on a couple of friend's items) so there's that.  

He didn’t personally.  He had a Deputy in charge of it that signed. I had two that I had to drop forms off and pick them up.

Wait till he's about to retire and the senior admin he will be pushing to run in his place

He'll probably be like a couple of the other department heads who are also well past their retirement requirements and won't retire, someone will just walk in one day and find them dead at their desk.  The backstabbing and infighting coupled with the CharlieFoxtrot that is the Richland Co Administration and especially the county council will be epic.  

He's a Democrat, so there's that. Of course, that's a requirement to get elected in Richland County.

He walks the fine line of having to appeal to the same demographic group he needs to incarcerate.

There's not a lot of hero LEOs in SC, for whatever reason.