In my near-10 years with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) in Columbia, South Carolina, I’ve learned a simple truth about law enforcement: Far more acts of heroism happen than the public ever sees.
Despite ride-alongs and shows like “On Patrol: LIVE,” deputies are often working in moments no camera captures — especially in the darkest hours of the night. And many of those moments involve split-second decisions that save lives.
Consider three recent incidents.
A crash and a tourniquet
In the first, Captain Danny Brown, best known as one of the regularly featured “stars” of On Patrol: LIVE, forwarded a memo to his (and my) boss, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, describing what can only be deemed heroism and cool-headedness in the purest sense.
According to the memo, dated Dec. 4, 2025: “In the early morning hours of August 11, 2025, while on patrol in the area of Sparkleberry Road and Mallet Hill Road [in northeast Richland County], RCSD Master Deputy Geoffrey Kendall spotted a vehicle that had been previously commandeered in a carjacking. Master Deputy Kendall attempted to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle fled at high speeds down the road [in a heavily populated residential area]. The driver subsequently lost control of the vehicle and it crashed violently into a grove of trees, immediately ejecting the driver [suspect].”
The memo continues: “The front seat passenger then fled on foot.”
Remaining composed and focused, Kendall shouted commands for the fleeing passenger to stop, which she ignored. He then continued working to clear the car and locate the driver.
Kendall found the driver in nearby woods, but “the lower portion of her left leg was amputated below the knee.” Kendall remained calm and immediately placed a tourniquet at the appropriate spot to stop the profuse bleeding, saving her life.
Despite the severity of her injuries, the suspect — clearly in shock — questioned why the tourniquet was being applied so tightly and why she needed one at all.
Capt. Brown concluded: “Master Deputy Kendall demonstrated calmness, care, and compassion at that moment, keeping her calm … so much professionalism, a true example of a hero, a lifesaver, professional and just a good human.”
A suicide attempt stopped
The second example of remaining cool under extreme pressure involved RCSD Corporal Avery Arrington.
On the night of Nov. 26, 2025, Arrington observed a female dressed in a hospital gown running from a hospital and being chased by a nurse. The woman climbed a tree and attempted to take her own life by pulling a razor blade from her mouth and cutting her throat, lacerating herself from her left ear to the middle of her throat.
Arrington persuaded the woman to drop the razor and climb down. Once on the ground, he retrieved a medical kit from his partner, Deputy James Potash, and immediately rendered aid, slowing the bleeding until firefighters with the Columbia-Richland Fire Department arrived and stabilized her.
In a memo dated Jan. 7, 2026, RCSD Capt. Russel Q. Brewton wrote: “Cpl. Arrington expertly performed his duties, while bravely facing a traumatic situation. He refused to allow fear to prevent him from giving his best and in doing so, he gave a young person another chance at life.”
CPR on a busy roadway
The third example — and there are many more — involved a victim thrown from his motorcycle following a crash with another vehicle along heavily trafficked Two Notch Road, a stretch of U.S. Highway 1 just outside Columbia.
Master Deputy Monica Parker witnessed the crash and ran toward the victim in active traffic. She found him unconscious, unresponsive and without a pulse. Parker immediately began CPR, and after numerous chest compressions, the victim regained consciousness and ultimately survived.
According to a Jan. 26 memo, Capt. Michael Pearson wrote: “While stabilizing the victim, Parker was also directing traffic and initiating crowd control as no other units had yet arrived.”
Parker continued assisting the Columbia-Richland Fire Department until EMS arrived. Her actions demonstrated “true leadership, dedication and bring great credit upon the Richland County Sheriff’s Department,” Pearson concluded.
The work most people never see
These are just three examples.
Not only among RCSD deputies, but among law enforcement officers across the country — in agencies large and small — acts of life-saving professionalism happen every day. Many will never be widely reported, not because they are rare, but because they are routine for those sworn to protect others.
And for the men and women doing the job, that’s simply part of what they’ve signed up to do.
| WATCH: How Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott built a department deputies won’t leave
