Deputy Chief Thomas Scott Deckard has been appointed to the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s (IACP) Police Professional Standards, Ethics, and Image Committee. As a committee member, Deckard will participate in and contribute to the function of the committee and serve the best interests of IACP and its membership. He will review relevant materials, initiate topical recommendations to the Chair before committee meetings, and serving as a subject matter expert from whom the IACP leadership and staff can draw advice, strategic insights, and technical expertise.
Deckard, a 26 year veteran of North Charleston Police Department, currently serves as a Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Division, leads the department’s Emergency Response Units, and supervises the department’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. He has held command positions in the Patrol and Investigations Divisions, where he has played an integral role in the response and management of several high-profile incidents, civil disturbances, and natural disasters. Before his promotion to Deputy Chief, he served as a Captain in the Detective Bureau, a position in which he oversaw the installation and implementation of interview room recording equipment and procedures, led and championed the department’s transition to double-blind sequential photo line-up presentation and policy, and acted as the department’s secondary public information officer. He worked on several departmental initiatives, including the Habitual Violent Offender Program, Retaliation Protocol Initiative, Juvenile Diversion Program, and led the expansion of the School Resource Officer Section.
Deputy Chief Deckard holds a BS Degree in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University and an AA Degree in Administration of Justice from Hagerstown Junior College. He is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute’s 119th Administrative Officer’s Course and he attended the 55th session of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police Executives.