New Hampton County criminal domestic violence investigator describes role
Domestic violence investigator describes role
Since she was ten years old, Lesley Jamison knew what she wanted to do when she grew up.
“I knew since I was ten I wanted to work in law enforcement,” Jamison said. “I spent time finding out about it and went into law enforcement as a career. Investigators are in it all, it’s a combination of many things in law enforcement. It keeps me busy and focused and I am helping people.”
Jamison, a 15-year veteran of law enforcement, was recently hired by the Hampton County sheriff’s office to serve as criminal domestic violence (CDV) investigator, a three-year position funded by a grant. She said working as a CDV investigator will be a new, yet challenging position.
“It’s a new avenue for me and it’s the biggest problem we have today, both with males and females,” she said. “With each position, I am able to climb the ladder. I’m not just working with the Hampton County sheriff’s office, but all municipalities in Hampton county.”
Jamison, a native of Colleton county, began her career with the Colleton County sheriff’s office as a communications-911 technician and has held a variety of positions within the office. Some of her other positions have included road patrol, school resource officer, investigator in the Colleton County criminal investigation division, and staff sergeant in the county’s criminal investigation division.
Most recently she served as jail administrator/captain of the county’s detention center before serving as sergeant with the South Carolina State University police department in Orangeburg, S.C.
Jamison is a 1991 graduate of Ruffin High School, holds an associates degree in criminal justice from Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice/sociology from Charleston Southern University. Jamison also received her law enforcement certificate from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia, S.C.
Some of Jamison’s duties as CDV investigator will include being an investigator who will respond to the scene of an incident or to the hospital to a victim when needed, as well as compiling information for court on subjects involved in incidents. Jamison has already worked four cases in a single weekend and is also working on grand jury cases.
“So far, there have been several arrests on suspects with cases I have been working on,” Jamison said.
Jamison’s goal is to complete as many cases as she can while making the public aware of how serious of a problem domestic violence has become over the years.
“I want to let citizens know just how serious criminal domestic violence is and let them know we don’t want to lose any lives because of it,” Jamison said.
Jamison also reflected on the importance of October being recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
“It’s a very important month to remember the families of the victims, their concerns, as well as educating the public about the dangers of criminal domestic violence,” she said. “If we educate the public, we are possibly curtailing situations and help prevent incidents from happening.”
Jamison added although some domestic problems at home begin small, some have unfortunately become big, a problem she wants to help citizens overcome. She explained it was very important to report any domestic violence situation, whether it’s reported by a male or a female.
Information can be reported anonymously using the Hampton County sheriff’s office tip line at 1-866-942-1120 or by going online and leaving a tip at sheriffcrimewatch@hamptoncountysc.org.
“I can be a counselor and a teacher, I am not here only to put people in jail,” she said. “Intervention may help a situation before it gets dangerous and unfortunately deadly.”
Jamison said being from a neighboring county, she saw the same types of problems concerning domestic violence.
“We all have the same problems and I am here to help,” she said.
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