Horry County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy among 4 honored with Strom Thurmond Award for Excellent in Law Enforcement

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) — An Horry County law enforcement officer was among those recognized Friday at the 41 ^st annual Strom Thurmond Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement Luncheon in Columbia.

Chief Deputy Tom Fox of the Horry County Sheriff’s Office was honored, along with Capt. Marty Sawye of the Aiken Department of Public Safety, Director Bryan Stirling of the state Department of Corrections and Special Agent Paul of Homeland Security Investigations

The event was attended by state, local, and federal law enforcement officials from across the state. The awards are presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee, along with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association and the Strom Thurmond Foundation.

The Strom Thurmond Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement were established in 1983 by then-Sen. Senator Strom Thurmond to recognize law enforcement officers whose performances demonstrate the highest ideals of excellence in professional law enforcement.

The annual award is given in each of four categories: city/municipal, county, state and federal.  The recipients are nominated from across the state and the finalists are chosen by a committee of representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Strom Thurmond Foundation, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, the South Carolina Police Chiefs’ Association, SCLEOA, and past recipients.

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Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13 . He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook , X, formerly Twitter , and read more of his work here .

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