Lee Foster
Sheriff
550 Wilson Road Newberry, SC 29108
(803) 405-7700

The Newberry County Sheriff's Office prides itself on building a successful relationship with the public.  Any great partnership must have great communications so in that spirit we invite the public to provide your feedback on the services we provide.  We hope that we receive positive feedback but understand that we are accountable to those who are sworn to protect and serve whether the feedback is positive or negative. To that end, we provide information on methods to express positive feedback, express concerns, and file complaints when necessary, about your interaction with our employees.

While we certainly desire to know what we can do better, law enforcement rarely hears of the good things that are done to serve others. So, this is also an opportunity to call to attention the positive actions and/or work of our employees in all divisions.

If you have a compliment, feedback, a question or a concern, you may email internalaffairs@ncso.sc.gov or call the Newberry County Sheriff's Office at (803) 321-2211.

If you would like to file a complaint against a member of this agency, we ask that you read the information below, which provides detailed information about how to file a complaint and what to expect once you file a complaint. While we provide the complaint form online, the complaint form must be submitted in person and should not be signed until you meet with someone from the Internal Affairs Division so that it is signed in their presence.

IMPORTANT: GUILT OR INNOCENCE OF ANY CHARGES YOU MAY BE FACING WILL NOT BE DETERMINED BY THIS INVESTIGATION. YOU WILL STILL BE REQUIRED TO APPEAR FOR ALL SCHEDULED COURT APPEARANCE(S) RELATED TO ANY AND ALL PENDING CHARGES.

There are two types of complaints at the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, official and unofficial.

UNOFFICIAL:

  • An unofficial complaint means that you would like to bring some activity by an officer to our attention for review by the officer's supervisor for their information and/or action.
  • No internal affairs investigation will be conducted unless the supervisor determines that additional action is needed by the agency.
  • This matter will not be brought before the review committee.
  • While the matter will be documented, you will not receive any further correspondence from this agency regarding this matter.

OFFICIAL:

  • An official complaint will be assigned to an internal affairs investigator.
  • The internal affairs investigator will contact you and schedule an interview.
  • The investigator will interview all witnesses involved including officers and employees. Any audio and/or video recordings will be reviewed as well.
  • The internal affairs investigator will report the findings of the investigation and all relevant information to a review committee. This committee is headed by the Divisional Commander and includes diverse group supervisors from various divisions of the Sheriff's Office.
  • If it is found that the rules or regulations were violated, the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. If the action taken by the officer is criminal in nature, the investigation will be turned over to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for further investigation.
  • No matter the outcome of the investigation, you will receive written notification from the Divisional Commander explaining the committee findings.

While we are providing links to the forms below, please remember that these MUST BE FILED IN PERSON at the Newberry County Sheriff's Office. These forms may be downloaded to your computer to be completed in a PDF format, but should not be signed until you meet with an investigator from the Internal Affairs Division.

For a link to the unofficial complaint, click here. If you download this document to your computer, you will be able to type in the information. Remember not to sign the form until your meeting with an internal affairs investigator.

For a link to the official complaint, click here. If you download this document to your computer, you will be able to type in the information. Remember do not sign the form until your meeting with an internal affairs investigator.