FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 21, 2000

CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755

DPS IS HOST FOR SUMMER TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety today introduced around 50 students to careers in law enforcement as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Summer Transportation Institute.

"We are always happy to have the opportunity to have young students visit our agency and become familiar with the career opportunities available to them here," said DPS Director B. Boykin Rose.

Each year, the Department of Public Safety hosts students from the Summer Transportation Institute, which is sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Transportation, Benedict College and South Carolina State University.

The STI Program runs concurrently from June 19 to July 14 at the campuses of Benedict and South Carolina State University. The STI program is designed to educate a group of ninth and tenth grade students about professions in the transportation industry.

At DPS, students had a chance to meet with officers and employees from DPS’ various law enforcement components including the Highway Patrol, Bureau of Protective Services, State Transport Police and the Criminal Justice Academy, the state’s law enforcement training facility.

Students were taken to the driving/firing range and shown how law enforcement is trained. BPS showed students how Annie, the bomb dog, detects explosives and how night surveillance cameras work. The Highway Patrol CERT (Civil Emergency Response Team) demonstrated how they would handle a riot situation and showed their drug dog at work. The State Transport Police demonstrated how they weigh commercial vehicles using portable scales.

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