U.S. Department
of Justice
2023 Strom Thurmond Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement Winners Announced
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA –The United States Attorney’s Office’s Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (LECC), along with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association (SCLEOA) and the Strom Thurmond Foundation, hosted the 40th Anniversary of the annual Strom Thurmond Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement Luncheon today at the Ft. Jackson NCO Club in Columbia, South Carolina. Approximately 200 state, local, and federal law enforcement officials from across the state attended the awards luncheon to honor these officers and hear from Governor Henry McMaster, the keynote speaker. The awards began in 1983 and McMaster was the first United States Attorney to co-host these awards.
The following South Carolina law enforcement officers received the 2023 awards:
City – Chief Amy S. Prock, Myrtle Beach Police Department
County – Captain Eric Abdullah, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office
Federal – Special Agent Adam R. Hardin, Drug Enforcement Administration
State – Colonel Christopher Williamson, South Carolina Highway Patrol
The Strom Thurmond Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement were established by then Senator Strom Thurmond in 1983 to recognize law enforcement officers whose performances demonstrate the highest ideals of excellence in professional law enforcement. An annual award is given in each of the four categories: (1) city/municipal; (2) county; (3) state; and (4) federal. An awards committee composed of representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Strom Thurmond Foundation, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, the South Carolina Police Chiefs’ Association, SCLEOA, and past recipients selects the winners from nominations received from across the state.
“These individuals embody the integrity and excellence of our law enforcement community,” said United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “I am pleased to honor each of them today as we express our gratitude for their service to their communities and the state of South Carolina.”
City Recipient
Chief Amy S. Prock, Myrtle Beach Police Department
Amy Prock is the Chief of Police for the Myrtle Beach Police Department. She has served the department since 1996 and has been assigned to several different positions all throughout the department, to include the Patrol Division, Special Operations Division, Administrative Division, and the Investigative Division. During her 27 years of service, the positions she filled have provided her the opportunity to serve the Myrtle Beach community from the waterfront, to Street Crimes, to Narcotics, to Traffic, Patrol, Detectives, Regulatory and several others. She has been a member of the Critical Incident Negotiations Team, attended the FBI’s National Academy, the Administrative Officers Management Program at NC State and many other leadership and specialty trainings in law enforcement. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Radford University in Radford, Virginia and her Master’s Degree in Psychology is from Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina.
Throughout Chief Prock’s time with the department, her focus continues to be on working with the Myrtle Beach community, team development, team leadership, and implementation of technology, such as NIBIN. She is motivated by the opportunity to make a difference. Her favorite motto is “Public safety is a shared responsibility.” What she enjoys most about being the Chief of Police is making a difference within the community she serves and working together with her community and with the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the City of Myrtle Beach to accomplish this. She believes that goals can always be met by working together and communicating.
County Recipient