State training requirements
South Carolina Peace Officer Training Requirements
Who governs peace officer standards in South Carolina, the annual in-service requirement, the mandated topics for de-escalation and crisis response, and who decides what counts for in-service credit.
Verified as of July 10, 2026
Who governs
Peace officer standards and training in South Carolina are set by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA).
Annual in-service requirement
South Carolina requires 40 Continuing Law Enforcement Education (CLEE) credits per three-year recertification cycle for Class 1 law enforcement officers, with officers breaking the hours down annually. Within the 40 are mandatory annual components including a domestic violence CLEE credit, a mental health or addictive disorders CLEE credit, a legal update, firearms or less-lethal training, a use-of-force policy review, and emergency vehicle operations each year, plus at least one mental-health-awareness in-service. Class 1 communications officers complete 120 hours per cycle. Training must be provided or approved by the Academy.
Mandated topics relevant to CodeBlu
Mental health and addictive disorders
A recurring mental health or addictive disorders CLEE credit is required per cycle, and its curriculum expressly includes crisis situation response for an individual experiencing a mental health or addictive disorder crisis. Exemptions require a chief executive request and cannot reduce the 40-hour total.
Source: S.C. Code 23-23-55
Domestic violence
A domestic violence CLEE credit is required each year of the cycle, within the 40.
Source: S.C. Code 23-23-50
De-escalation
De-escalation is not named as a standalone requirement; it sits within the mental health and addictive disorders and use-of-force requirements. Use-of-force policy review is a recurring annual component per the SCCJA Mandatory Retraining Notification.
Who decides in-service credit
Centralized approval
Training must be provided or approved by the Academy. SCCJA maintains and annually updates a list of approved CLEE courses with assigned CLEE hours, and courses must be approved on an Academy form before counting toward recertification.
Source: S.C. Reg. 37-008 and 37-010
What this means for training like CodeBlu
In South Carolina, in-service courses are certified or approved centrally through South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA), so credit does not rest with an individual agency alone. The honest framing for training like CodeBlu is professional development that builds the underlying skills; any formal credit path runs through the state's approval process. This is not a determination of eligibility: CodeBlu does not certify hours or grant credit, and agency policy, the state's process, and legal counsel govern.
Primary sources
- POST-equivalent siteSouth Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (official site)
- StatuteS.C. Code 23-23-50 and 23-23-55
- Administrative codeS.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 37
- POST-equivalent siteSCCJA Mandatory Retraining Notification form
Verified as of July 10, 2026. This page is reviewed on an annual cadence, and the date is bumped only on re-verification against the primary sources above.
Frequently asked questions
- Who sets peace officer training requirements in South Carolina?
- South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA) sets peace officer standards and training requirements in South Carolina.
- How many annual in-service training hours does South Carolina require?
- South Carolina requires 40 Continuing Law Enforcement Education (CLEE) credits per three-year recertification cycle for Class 1 law enforcement officers, with officers breaking the hours down annually. Within the 40 are mandatory annual components including a domestic violence CLEE credit, a mental health or addictive disorders CLEE credit, a legal update, firearms or less-lethal training, a use-of-force policy review, and emergency vehicle operations each year, plus at least one mental-health-awareness in-service. Class 1 communications officers complete 120 hours per cycle. Training must be provided or approved by the Academy.
- Who decides what training counts for in-service credit in South Carolina?
- Training must be provided or approved by the Academy. SCCJA maintains and annually updates a list of approved CLEE courses with assigned CLEE hours, and courses must be approved on an Academy form before counting toward recertification.