Sheriff Richard Roundtree

Sheriff Richard Roundtree was born and raised in Augusta. He attended public schools in Richmond County and graduated from T.W. Josey High School where he was a standout student athlete.

He was awarded a scholarship to play football at South Carolina State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 1991. Sheriff Roundtree earned a Masters of Education in counseling and psychology from Troy State University in 2006.

Sheriff Roundtree attended the FBI National Academy in 2008 and believes in continual education and learning as a professional. Sheriff Roundtree has completed more than 3,000 hours of formal law enforcement training including:

• SWAT Levels 1, 2, and 3
• General/Firearms/Defensive Tactics Instructor
• Criminal Investigations
• Psychological Profiling
• Behavioral Analysis Interviews
• Constitutional Law

Sheriff Roundtree has been an instructor for the local police academies for more than 17 years where he has taught a variety of topics including homicides, violent crimes and constitutional law.

Sheriff Roundtree believes and supports community involvement. He co-founded the Dad’s in Action organization, a mentoring group for at-risk children, and has served as Vice President of the Richmond County Council of PTAs. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Easter Seals of Augusta.

After he was elected Sheriff of Augusta-Richmond County in 2012, Sheriff Roundtree immediately shared his initiatives designed to engage and interact with the community.

Central to that plan is the creation of the Community Services Division within the Sheriff’s Office and
ongoing community programs, such as the neighborhood watch initiative and CHAMPS anti-drug program in county schools,

Sheriff Roundtree has identified five initiatives that he will develop in 2013, each designed to improve community relations and boost internal morale.

1. The first initiative will be creating a citizens advisory board. The board will consist of 12 members, 10 appointed by individual Augusta Commission members, one appointed by Mayor Deke Copenhaver and one student member appointed by the Richmond County Board of Education.
2. Establishing The Citizen’s Academy is a 12-week program that teaches participants about various aspects of the sheriff’s office and law enforcement. Participants will go through an approval process that includes a criminal background check with plans to schedule three classes who will go through the course each year, with the first beginning in February.
3. Youth Explorer program, for ages 14 to 20. This is a version of the Boy Scout Explorer program that will focus on public safety.
4. A Sheriff’s Council which is a group composed of deputies who will serve as a conduit for ideas and concerns from deputies. This will provide his staff of over 750 people a conduit and direct line of communications throughout the agency
5. Reserve Deputy Program intended to boost the size of our Department force and relieve some of the pressure on deputies and a strained budget is the reserve deputy program. The program provides unpaid volunteers and has been proven in many other counties, including neighboring Columbia County. The volunteers are required to meet all the standards and training of regular deputies, including state certification.