COLUMBIA, S.C. — Robin Morse, who once ran public safety in Clinton and led the Laurens Police Department, was enshrined Wednesday in South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame.
Morse was one of 13 retired law enforcement leaders honored for meritorious service at a 2 p.m. ceremony at the state’s Criminal Justice Academy. The state listed him with both the Laurens and Clinton police departments. The honor came after his death: Morse died in August 2024 following a fight with cancer.
He was one of two former Upstate officers in this year’s class. Johnny Mack Brown, the former Greenville County sheriff, was also inducted. The rest of the group included former Columbia Police Chief L.J. Campbell, former Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon, former Kershaw County Sheriff Hector DeBruhl and officers who served with the Highway Patrol, SLED, the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Corrections.
Morse spent decades in law enforcement and had already been named to the Laurens County Hall of Heroes.
Nominees for the hall must have served at least 25 years in law enforcement, and they cannot have worked for a law enforcement agency within the last five years. Officers can be nominated after they die. Representatives of each inductee’s agency presented the nominations during the program.
Robert G. Woods IV, who heads the state Department of Public Safety and leads the hall’s advisory committee, spoke to the crowd. He told attendees the class earned the recognition through years of service and said he hoped their careers would serve as an example for officers in the future.
The hall held its first meritorious service ceremony in October 2017. Counting this year’s group, 76 officers have now been inducted. State lawmakers created the hall in 1974 to honor officers who died in the line of duty as well as those who stood out in their everyday work. Visitors can tour it on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Section: More Clinton SC crime news
Filed under: Clinton SC Public Safety News
