SC State University’s police chief, Michael Bartley, was recently the recipient of the SC Criminal Justice Award. Bartley, a 20-year law enforcement veteran, received the award recently at the South Carolina Victims Assistant Network’s conference in Columbia. The award is bestowed upon a member of the criminal justice system who has exemplified true advocacy on behalf of crime victims. Bartley was the only law enforcement officer in the state to receive this year’s honor.
“This is truly a blessing,” says Bartley. “This is the culmination of not solely my hard work but of the efforts of the SC State University Police Department staff as well.”
Bartley’s qualifications for this prominent award are evident. A graduate of Grambling State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice, he was promoted to chief of the SC State University Police Department in October 2010. His previous experiences in law enforcement run the gamut from line deputy and special services deputy, to narcotics investigator and a member of the bloodhound tracking team with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia, S.C. Bartley also worked with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office as captain of Uniform Patrol/Community Services and commander of the SWAT Team. He also served as a member of the Orangeburg County Homeland Security Task Force. This is also not Bartley’s first stint at SC State. In 1996, he worked as lieutenant of Operations/Administration for the University. He later served as major and then as interim chief of police.
