OC Sheriff’s Office Detention Officer receives Bert Friday Award

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office announces that Oconee County Detention Officer Robert H. Chasteen graduated last Friday from the Basic Detention Program at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. Chasteen also received the prestigious Bert Friday Award. Chasteen was one of 43 graduates of Basic Detention Session 354. Chasteen is a graduate of the Colleton Prep Academy in 2005 and received an Associate’s Degree from Tri-County Technical College in Management in 2013. He was hired as a Detention Officer in April of this year. The Bert Friday award is named in honor of G.S. Bert Friday and goes to the individual with the highest overall academic average. Mr. Friday was a former officer with the Columbia City Police Department and later became the Deputy Warden of the South Carolina Department of Corrections in 1962. Mr. Friday was also instrumental in the formation and implementation of the Jail and Prison Inspection Division of the Department of Corrections, which was established in 1967. “The Sheriff’s Office is extremely proud of Robert’s graduation as well as receiving the Bert Friday Award,” says Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw. “He worked hard to win an award that is highly coveted in the corrections and detention arm of public service. The Sheriff’s Office is committed to hiring the most qualified individuals possible in helping us to fulfill our vision of making Oconee County a safe place to live, work and play.”