Sheriff Lee Foster speaks during the 2024 Sheriffs’ Association’s annual conference in July.
                                 Courtesy photos

Sheriff Lee Foster speaks during the 2024 Sheriffs’ Association’s annual conference in July.

Courtesy photos

<p>Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster was recently named the 2024 Sheriff of the Year during the 2024 during the annual Sheriffs’ Association conference in July.</p>
                                 <p>Courtesy photos</p>

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster was recently named the 2024 Sheriff of the Year during the 2024 during the annual Sheriffs’ Association conference in July.

Courtesy photos

NEWBERRY — Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster was recently recognized as South Carolina Sheriff of the Year during the 2024 Sheriffs’ Association’s annual conference in July.

The award is presented annually and is chosen by the state’s 46 county sheriffs.

A July 18 Facebook post from the Sheriff’s Office said Foster was nominated by Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile. In nominating Sheriff Foster, Faile outlined Sheriff Foster’s lengthy career in law enforcement, his commitment to improvement and training in the law enforcement profession, his service to the people of Newberry County and the State of South Carolina, and his dedication to the mission of the South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

“I was surprised that I was nominated because I had received the honor before, but there are some really great sheriffs. When it was announced that I was going to be the choice for Sheriff of the Year, I was humbled. It really is a great honor to be recognized by your peers. The Office of the Sheriff is a unique job in law enforcement and I am extremely honored to have been selected,” Foster said.

Foster has spent a number of years in law enforcement and said to be a successful law enforcement officer, one has to have a mix of “empathy, sympathy, knowledge, skill, and a lot of intestinal fortitude.”

And throughout his career, Foster has been able to gain pieces of wisdom along the way that have helped him become the sheriff he is today.

“Always treat people the way you want to be treated. Although the problem may seem small to you, it is important to the person that has called the complaint and it is the most important to them,” he said.

In Newberry County, as sheriff, Foster said the goal is to continue what they are already doing: protecting the community. Part of that means making sure officers are trained and ready when responding to calls.

“We need to do everything we can to retain the highly trained deputies, which the taxpayer has funded. You cannot do anything to protect the public without highly trained and experienced personnel. We have some great deputies and they do exemplary work for the citizens of the county,” Foster said. “They risk their lives everyday and we need to make sure they don’t go to another agency. We also need to leverage technology to help in the enforcement and detection of crime. We also need to continue our efforts in community-based policing. Law enforcement will never be able to do their jobs without the support of the community.”

For Foster, the recognition is not about himself, rather the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office and its employees as a whole.

“The employees of the Sheriff’s Office suit up every day, risking their lives so people can live their lives in relative safety. I could not be Sheriff’s of the Year or sheriff for that matter without the work of the dedicated deputy sheriffs.

The award is not about me, but the employees of the Sheriff’s Office that suit up everyday, risking their lives, so people can live their lives in relative safety. I could never be Sheriff of the Year or Sheriff for that matter without the work of the dedicated Deputy Sheriffs.

Reach Kelly Duncan at 803-768-3122 ext. 1867 or kduncan@championcarolinas.com.