Columbia Police receive statewide award
The Columbia Police Department won the 2016 Santee Cooper Excellence in Law Enforcement Award, The State reports. The award, presented by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Association, focuses on community outreach as well as efficiency. Past winners include the Charleston and Aiken police departments.
Dylann Roof competency hearing closed to public
The public and the media won't be able to attend a competency hearing for Dylann Roof, WIS reports. The ruling came down from Judge Richard Gergel despite protests from major South Carolina publications such as The Post and Courier. Gergel said media coverage would violate Roof's Sixth Amendment rights. Roof is accused of killing nine African-American churchgoers in Charleston in June 2015.
Jacob Hall memorial road sign revealed
The elementary school child killed in a shooting at an Anderson elementary school is being remembered with a new road sign, WLTX reports. The sign recognizes the intersection of Interstate 85 and Highway 24 as the Jacob L. Hall Memorial Interchange. The Anderson community also honored Hall with a superhero themed funeral in September.