South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is a statewide investigative law enforcement agency in South Carolina. SLED provides manpower and technical assistance to other law enforcement agencies and conducts investigations on behalf of the state as directed by the Governor and Attorney General. SLED Headquarters is located in the state capital, Columbia, with offices in the Midlands, Piedmont, Pee Dee, and Low Country regions. History The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was created in 1935 by Act 232 of the South Carolina General Assembly "for the purpose of enforcing the state liquor law [...] and to assist any law enforcement officer in the detection of crime and the enforcement of any criminal laws of the state of South Carolina." SLED replaced the old state constabulary which had been created in 1893 and then disbanded in 1932 due to the financial constraints of the Great Depression. The 1935 law provided $70,000.00 to fund the new organization. Governor Olin D. Johnston appointed J. Henry Jeanes, a veteran law enforcement officer and Chief of the Pelzer Police Department, as the first Chief of SLED. He in turn hired twenty-one constables from around the state. Although SLED initially focused on enforcement of the liquor laws, within a short period of time the Division was also investigating cases of all sorts, including murder, lynching, and labor violence.