Welcome to the South Carolina Crisis Negotiators Association. We are an organization formed to improve the skills and techniques of crisis negotiators from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies from around the country. Although we mainly consist of crisis negotiators from the state of South Carolina, we have members from several other states including North Carolina, Georgia, and Maine. We invite anyone who participates in crisis negotiations to join. Please feel free to contact me at erussell@lex-co.com  for further information.

 For those of you that attended our 2009 conference in Myrtle Beach, I hope you found it both educational and enjoyable. I commend you for your continued effort in perfecting your skill as a negotiator. The 2009 board worked long and hard to bring to you a conference that we hope provided you with something new to add to your abilities as a negotiator.

 We are already in the planning stages of the 2010 conference. The SCCNA has been given an Institutional Provider number through the SC Criminal Justice Academy.  This will allow for us to submit the necessary paperwork each year in order to have the conference training hours credited through the academy each year. The 2010 conference is anticipating to award 16 continuing education credit hours.  This has been a goal of the association board for the past couple of years and I am pleased to announce that this has been successfully completed. We are also working on obtaining some very nice door prizes for the 2010 conference. We hope to have two big prizes, one to be given away at the end of the scenario day and one at the end of the last day of the conference. Keep checking back for updates. Anyone who has any ideas or suggestions please let me hear from you.

 In closing I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Lt. JB Kelly, Pickens County Sheriff’s Dept., Capt. Rubin Santiago, Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. and Lt. Dennis Dodge, Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. JB Kelly was the 2009 association president and we hope to continue to see JB for many years. Rubin Santiago is a past president and district representative. Rubin stepped down as district representative this year due to increased demands on his time. Although Rubin gave up his board position we hope to continue to see Rubin for a long time. Last but not least, Dennis Dodge, who is also a past president, is retiring from law enforcement and moving on to follow his dreams in Oklahoma. Dennis we wish you well in your retirement. You will be missed by all.

Eric Russell
President
SCCNA 2010