Dan Holland’s work over a year’s time

Shots were fired last night in a confrontation in Abbeville County between an armed man and a county deputy.  The man was shot and killed, and the state police say, they are investigating what is the 18th officer-involved shooting in the state this year.  The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office in the last 12 months has been involved in no officer-involved shootings, and Sheriff Mike Crenshaw notes the time is commensurate with the appointment of the first cultural diversity director in his office.  After George Floyd was killed and, while protests reached Oconee County streets, Crenshaw announced the hiring of Dan Holland.  The new hire’s marching orders included examining department culture and equity for employees.  A year later, as Crenshaw reflected in our interview, strides have been made.  Practices are now in place to ensure that gender and race are represented on the hiring panel in his office.  According to Crenshaw, Holland has done a lot of research in the field of equity and inclusion and has spoken to the members of the statewide sheriffs’ association. These days, department reports are reviewed routinely to track whether there’s undue or repeated use of force incidents.