SECTION 23-6-440. Council may issue certificates; inspection of training facilities; recommendations for improvements; information to be submitted as to applicants; expiration of certification; renewal.

(A) At the request of any public law enforcement agency of this State the department is hereby authorized to issue certificates and other appropriate indicia of compliance and qualification to law enforcement officers or other persons trained under the provisions of this article. Members of the advisory council may individually or collectively visit and inspect any training school, class, or academy dealing with present or prospective law enforcement officers, and are expected to promote the most efficient and economical program for police training, including the maximum utilization of existing facilities and programs for the purpose of avoiding duplication. The advisory council may make recommendations to the director, the General Assembly, or to the Governor regarding the carrying out of the purposes, objectives, and intentions of this article or other acts relating to training in law enforcement.

(B) All city and county police departments, sheriffs' offices, state agencies, or other employers of law enforcement officers having such officers as candidates for certification shall submit to the director, for his confidential information and subsequent safekeeping, the following:

(1) an application under oath on a format prescribed by the director;

(2) evidence satisfactory to the director that the candidate has completed high school and received a high school diploma, equivalency certificate (military or other) recognized and accepted by the South Carolina Department of Education or South Carolina special certificate;

(3) evidence satisfactory to the director of the candidate's physical fitness to fulfill the duties of a law enforcement officer including:

(a) a copy of his medical history compiled by a licensed physician or medical examiner approved by the employer;

(b) a certificate of a licensed physician that the candidate has recently undergone a complete medical examination and the results thereof;

(4) evidence satisfactory to the director that the applicant has not been convicted of any criminal offense that carries a sentence of one year or more or of any criminal offense that involves moral turpitude. Forfeiture of bond, a guilty plea, or a plea of nolo contendere is considered the equivalent of a conviction;

(5) evidence satisfactory to the director that the candidate is a person of good character. This evidence must include, but is not limited to:

(a) certification by the candidate's employer that a background investigation has been conducted and the employer is of the opinion that the candidate is of good character;

(b) evidence satisfactory to the director that the candidate holds a valid current state driver's license with no record during the previous five years for suspension of driver's license as a result of driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or dangerous drugs, driving while impaired (or the equivalent), reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter, or leaving the scene of an accident. Candidates for certification as state or local correctional officers may hold a valid current driver's license issued by any jurisdiction of the United States;

(c) evidence satisfactory to the director that a local credit check has been made with favorable results;

(d) evidence satisfactory to the director that the candidate's fingerprint record as received from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division indicates no record of felony convictions.

In the director's determination of good character, the director shall give consideration to all law violations, including traffic and conservation law convictions, as indicating a lack of good character. The director shall also give consideration to the candidate's prior history, if any, of alcohol and drug abuse in arriving at a determination of good character;

(6) a copy of the candidate's photograph;

(7) a copy of the candidate's fingerprints;

(8) evidence satisfactory to the director that the candidate's present age is not less than twenty-one years. This evidence must include a birth certificate or another acceptable document;

(9) evidence satisfactory to the director of successful completion of a course of law enforcement training as established and approved by the director, and conducted at an academy or institution approved by the director, this evidence to consist of a certificate granted by the approved institution.

(C) A certificate as a law enforcement officer issued by the department will expire three years from the date of issuance or upon discontinuance of employment by the officer with the employing entity or agency. The certification of any law enforcement officer issued by the department that is current on July 1, 1989, will expire in the year 1992 on the last day of the month during which it was issued, or upon discontinuance of employment with the employing entity or agency. Prior to the expiration of the certificate, the certificate may be renewed upon application presented to the director on a form prescribed by the director. The application for renewal must be received by the director at least forty-five days prior to the expiration of the certificate. If the officer's certificate has lapsed, the department may reissue the certificate after receipt of an application and if the director is satisfied that the officer continues to meet the requirements of subsections (B)(1) through (B)(9).

(D) The director may accept for training as a law enforcement officer an applicant who has met requirements of subsections (B)(1) through (B)(8).

(E) A person who is convicted of or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to a criminal domestic violence offense, as defined in Chapter 25 of Title 16, must have his law enforcement certification revoked.