Police and sheriff · South Carolina

Law Enforcement Agencies in Charleston County, South Carolina

20 agenciesFBI UCR list

The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program lists 20 law enforcement agencies in Charleston County, South Carolina: the county sheriff's office, 7 city or town police departments, 1 state police post, 4 campus police departments and 7 other agencies.

Sheriff's Office and County Police in Charleston County

  • Charleston County Sheriff's OfficeCounty sheriff or police · ORI SC0100000 · NIBRS since 1991

City and Town Police Departments in Charleston County

  • Charleston Police DepartmentCity or town police · ORI SC0100100 · NIBRS since 1991
  • Folly Beach Police DepartmentCity or town police · ORI SC0100400 · NIBRS since 1991
  • Isle of Palms Police DepartmentCity or town police · ORI SC0100500 · NIBRS since 1991
  • Mount Pleasant Police DepartmentCity or town police · ORI SC0100300 · NIBRS since 1991
  • North Charleston Police DepartmentCity or town police · ORI SC0100800 · NIBRS since 1991
  • Sullivan's Island Police DepartmentCity or town police · ORI SC0100700 · NIBRS since 1991
  • Summerville Police DepartmentCity or town police · ORI SC0180200 · NIBRS since 1991

State Police in Charleston County

  • Highway Patrol: Charleston CountyState police · ORI SC010SP00 · NIBRS since 1991

State Agencies in Charleston County

  • Department of Health and Environmental Control Drug Control: Charleston CountyState agency · ORI SC010990X · NIBRS since 2021
  • Department of Natural Resources: Charleston CountyState agency · ORI SC010NR00 · NIBRS since 1999
  • Forestry Commission: Charleston CountyState agency · ORI SC010FC00 · NIBRS since 2004
  • South Carolina Law Enforcement Division: Charleston CountyState agency · ORI SC010AA0X
  • State Ports AuthorityState agency · ORI SC0101300 · NIBRS since 1991
  • State Transport Police: Charleston CountyState agency · ORI SC0102600 · NIBRS since 2003

College and University Police in Charleston County

  • College of CharlestonCollege or university police · ORI SC0101700 · NIBRS since 1999
  • Medical University of South CarolinaCollege or university police · ORI SC0100900 · NIBRS since 1991
  • The CitadelCollege or university police · ORI SC0101100 · NIBRS since 1991
  • Trident Technical CollegeCollege or university police · ORI SC0101200 · NIBRS since 1991

Other Law Enforcement Agencies in Charleston County

  • Charleston County Aviation AuthorityOther agency · ORI SC0101500 · NIBRS since 1991

Where People Arrested in Charleston County Are Held

In most U.S. counties, adults arrested by city police, the sheriff or state troopers are booked into the county jail first. Some larger cities run their own holding jail, so if a person is not on the county roster, call the arresting department.

Law Enforcement in Other South Carolina Counties

Agency names, types and ORI codes come from the FBI Crime Data Explorer agency list, retrieved November 2026. NIBRS dates show when an agency began reporting incident-level crime data to the FBI.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many police departments are in Charleston County?
The FBI lists 20 law enforcement agencies in Charleston County, including 7 city or town police departments. The full list is on this page.
Who runs the jail in Charleston County?
In most counties the sheriff runs the county jail. In Charleston County that is the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. See Charleston County Jail on this site for the jail's roster or contact details.
What is an ORI number?
An ORI is the nine-character identifier the FBI assigns to each law enforcement agency for crime reporting, for example SC010SP00. It is useful when you request records or read crime statistics.