The Excellence in Policing & Public Safety Program is Now Accepting Applications for Cohort 5 and 6; Executive Credential in Police Leadership. Application deadline is October 25, 2026, 11:00 PM. The application is available here: Executive Credential in Police Leadership [ECPL] Application – Cohort 5 & 6 (2027) (Page 1 of 5). Applications previously submitted do NOT need to be resubmitted.
The Excellence in Policing & Public Safety (EPPS) Program is a legislatively funded effort to assist South Carolina law enforcement agencies, advance the police profession, and enhance the delivery of public safety services through collaborative training, assistance, research, and community partnerships.
We are now accepting applications for the next cohorts of our Executive Credential in Police Leadership (ECPL) program. The ECPL was designed with extensive input from public safety professionals around South Carolina to be a rigorous, evidence-based training program that empowers current and rising law enforcement executives to lead their agencies now and into the future. Built around effective adult learning principles, the ECPL provides cutting edge insight that we are constantly refining based on feedback from earlier cohorts.
In 2027, EPPS will be running TWO ECPL cohorts. Each cohort will be made up of twenty (20) current command staff and command staff eligible public safety leaders who can commit to this intensive (8) eight-month program. Each program will meet once per month, for 4-4.5 days per session, from April2027 through November 2027 (proposed dates for each session are included at the end of this message). Over that time, participants will explore principles of leadership and management, communications, co-production of public safety in policing, civil rights, evidence-based policing, and a range of other topics with a highly interactive, hands-on, practical approach. Applicants must commit to the monthly in-person sessions, as well as several hours of learning and applying course principles between each session. Selected candidates must commit to attending all dates for the entire program. Agency heads must support this commitment to be present in Columbia, SC for all training dates.
There is no tuition or program cost for South Carolina public safety professionals to participate in the ECPL program. Agencies will be responsible for any travel costs associated with the training (per diem, hotel, mileage/fuel).
Please note that while the ECPL program is academically rigorous and requires active student engagement, it does not confer college credit. However, participants who successfully complete the program will receive 240 hours of South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy credit. For information on enrolling separately in our college credit-bearing programs, please contact Catherine Birmingham (BIRMINGC@mailbox.sc.edu) and/or visit the webpage here (MSL in Public Safety Executive Leadership – Excellence in Policing and Public Safety (EPPS) Program).
Interested candidates can begin the ECPL application process by clicking this link. After you complete your application process, an EPPS team member will contact you for additional documentation requirements including a resume/CV and a letter of support from your agency head. The application portal will close on October 26, 2026. We hope to notify applicants if they have been accepted into the program by mid-December 2026.
Applications that have already been submitted will be considered alongside new applications after the closing date. If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at JW322@mailbox.sc.edu.
The tentative dates for the Cohort 5 (2027) schedule are included below:
- April 5-9
- May 10-14
- June 14-17
- July 19-22
- August 9-12
- September 14-16
- October 12-15
- November 15-18
The tentative dates for the Cohort 6 (2027) schedule are included below:
- April 12-16
- May 17-21
- June 14-17
- July 19-22
- August 9-12
- September 14-16
- October 12-15
- November 15-18
The application package will request which dates you’d prefer to be considered for.
If you have any questions, or the EPPS team can be of assistance to you or your department, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. For ongoing information regarding EPPS, sign up for our ListServ on the EPPS website here!
