Bill Text: SC H4637 | 2017-2018 | 122nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Chief Louis M. Dekmar
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 79-44)
Status: (Passed) 2018-01-23 - Introduced and adopted [H4637 Detail]
Download: South_Carolina-2017-H4637-Introduced.html
A HOUSE RESOLUTION
TO HONOR CHIEF LOUIS M. DEKMAR FOR HIS PERFORMANCE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TO RECOGNIZE HIM FOR HIS GOOD WORKS AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE.
Whereas, Chief Louis M. Dekmar, the Chief of Police for LaGrange Police Department, has dedicated his life to the safety of people in his community, state, and nation; and
Whereas, Chief Dekmar's forty-year law enforcement career ranges from police officer and detective to division commander to chief of police for over twenty-six years; and
Whereas, he has served as chief of police and chief of public safety for the city of LaGrange, Georgia since 1995. Before that appointment, he served as police chief for the city of Morrow, Georgia in the Atlanta-Metro area. Prior to this, he served ten years in law enforcement in Wyoming; and
Whereas, Chief Dekmar is the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and past president and chair of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), having served in that role for five of his ten years on the commission. He is the former president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police; and
Whereas, in 2006, he chaired a "vehicle pursuit" committee for the Georgia Chief's Association, which published a white paper. The pursuit research was accepted by the United States Supreme Court in a Brief of Amicus Curiae (Scott v Harris 2007); and
Whereas, furthermore, Chief Dekmar is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. In 2004, he was selected as the delegation leader for the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) that travelled to Israel for a two-week training exchange with the Israel National Police, and is currently a board member for GILEE; and
Whereas, he is a former council member for the Georgia Peace Officer's Standards and Council, serving on the Probable Cause Committee; and a past member of the Georgia Board of Public Safety, which provides policy oversight for the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. He has also served as a Federal Monitor for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division; and
Whereas, Chief Dekmar is an international presenter for police leaders and elected officials on a range of topics involving leadership, ethics, law enforcement management, and liability issues and has provided over three hundred training programs to police chiefs, elected officials, and other law enforcement personnel in over twenty states and several countries; and
Whereas, in 2014, he appeared in Oslo, Norway and addressed the United Nations Police on the topic of international law enforcement standards; and
Whereas he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (142nd) and FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in administration of justice from the University of Wyoming and a master's degree in public administration from Georgia College and State University. He is also an adjunct professor for several colleges and institutions; and
Whereas, in 2017, he received the elected prosecutor's "Headlight Award" for racial trust building. Additionally, he has received recognition in 2014 with the CALEA Egon Bittner Award, in 2009 with the Georgia Governor's Award for Life-time Achievement and Contribution to the Law Enforcement Profession, in 2005 with the LaGrange College Servant-Leadership Award, in 1997 with the Georgia Outstanding Police Chief of the Year, and in 1978 with the Police Valor Medal for Bravery. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, honor Chief Louis M. Dekmar for his performance in law enforcement and recognize him for his good works as the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Chief Louis M. Dekmar.
