W. Thomas Smith Jr.

W. Thomas Smith Jr., a special deputy with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Richland County, South Carolina, is a formerly deployed U.S. Marine infantry leader, a war correspondent, and a former SWAT team officer in the nuclear industry. He is a S.C. Military Hall of Fame inductee: Class of 2025.

LATEST ARTICLES

SWAT

Three missions before sunrise: Inside Richland County’s Special Response Team

Before most of Columbia was awake, Richland County’s tactical operators had already hit three targets, seized weapons and drugs, and regrouped before breakfast

October 16, 2025 10:24 AM

W. Thomas Smith Jr.

Tactical EMS / TEMS

S.C. sheriff’s department adds tier-one emergency medical care to law enforcement responsibilities

Special medical training for Richland County deputies puts them in a class of their own

June 13, 2025 12:54 PM

W. Thomas Smith Jr.

National Police Week

Richland County Sheriff’s Department, other S.C. agencies, honored for K-9 sacrifices

Five K-9s from three S.C. LE agencies perished in 2024

May 22, 2025 05:40 PM

W. Thomas Smith Jr.

Airborne and Maritime

Protecting South Carolina’s coast: SCDNR ramps up summer enforcement

In partnership with NOAA and the Coast Guard, SCDNR officers patrol nearly 2,900 miles of shoreline to safeguard boaters, wildlife and fisheries

April 12, 2025 01:07 PM

W. Thomas Smith Jr.

Patrol Issues

How ‘On Patrol: Live’ brings real-time policing to the public

Since 2022, the reality TV docuseries has provided an unfiltered look at law enforcement in action, offering transparency, boosting community trust and even helping agencies attract recruits

March 11, 2025 12:27 PM

W. Thomas Smith Jr.