Everyone here at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department knows what a dedicated, hard-working team we’re fortunate enough to be a part of, and it’s fantastic when that’s recognized by our county and state too.
We’re delighted to announce Sheriff Koon has been named the 2023 Sheriff of the Year by the South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.
The prestigious award was presented to Sheriff Koon at the association’s annual conference in Myrtle Beach in July. In celebration of his achievement, he also received a check for $1,000 for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation from longtime S.C. Sheriffs’ Association supporters, Moseley Architects.
A peer-nominated award, Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis proudly nominated Sheriff Koon for the honor, calling him a “professional, innovative, community-minded law enforcement officer.”
Sheriff Koon has worked as a certified law enforcement officer for more than 30 years. He spent about two decades of his career at the Lexington Police Department as detective, patrol sergeant, watch commander, special operations lieutenant and assistant chief.
Committed to continually developing his professional skills, Sheriff Koon also graduated from the FBI National Academy (Session 235) in 2008 and the FBI National Executive Institute (Session 40) in 2017.
Since being elected to lead the Sheriff’s Department in April 2015, Sheriff Koon has focused on creating a culture of integrity, efficiency and accountability, and prioritized rebuilding the all-important relationship between the community and law enforcement.
His pioneering initiatives have included the agency’s first body-worn camera program and being one of the first sheriffs in the state to partner with the S.C. Department of Mental Health to create a Mobile Crisis Response Team.
With transparency and communication as hallmarks of his leadership, it’s no surprise Sheriff Koon has also worked on innovative ways to communicate with the Lexington County community through social media and our Community Action Team.
Sheriff Koon’s commitment to innovation and serving his community mean he’s no stranger to awards. In 2022, he also received the Strom Thurmond Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement.
“I feel blessed and honored to be recognized by my peers and the community,” Sheriff Koon responded. “It might have been my name called out in Myrtle Beach, but the high-quality service we provide to the Lexington County community wouldn’t be possible without the dedicated men and women who make the department what it is. To each and every one of you, thank you.”
Looking ahead, Sheriff Koon wants to build on the strong recruitment initiatives from this year and attract the next generation of top talent to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department through newly increased salaries and the warm, family-like atmosphere.
Both as a department and a community we’re incredibly lucky to have such an innovative leader pushing us forward to achieve even more together as a community. Congratulations Sheriff Koon!