On Dec. 20, 2024, Horry County Police Department celebrated the graduation of four new officers from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, including two who took home top honors. 
 
Officer River Porter was honored with the Class Leader Award, while Officer Lauren Porzio-Heard received the Assistant Class Leader Award. Each SCCJA class is comprised of Class 1 officer recruits from law enforcement agencies across the state, and it is exceedingly rare for officers from the same agency to take home two of the five class awards. 
 
Officer Porter said attending the SCCJA and becoming part of HCPD was a lifelong dream fulfilled: 

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“I was born and raised in Horry County, and I joined the Marine Corps and moved away. I always knew my next step after my time in the Marine Corps would be Horry County Police Department. Growing up seeing the amazing leadership, brotherhood and dedication from the department, I knew that one day I would embark on a career with them as well.”
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Officer Porzio-Heard said the achievement was a long time coming for her too, as she previously worked as a Class 3 officer within the HCPD Crime Scene Investigations division. 
 
“I knew I had aspirations to go further and obtain my Class 1 as a full patrol officer. The department immediately made that happen and got me into the next upcoming class,” said Porzio-Heard. 
 
As class leaders, Porter and Porzio-Heard said their shared desire to serve bonded them. 
 
“We shared the same ethics and beliefs, and that led to a cohesive leadership experience for the class. I love helping people and guiding them into the right direction as well as learning from others so the role was a great opportunity to do so,” said Porter. 
 
Heard echoed the sentiment, and shared that the opportunity to encourage, support, share in the success of a team was a guiding light for she and Porter. 
 
“Being from the same department and having the same vision of what our expectations were going into the academy, we were able to work with one another the achieve the goals needed to successfully complete the program,” said Porzio-Heard. 
 
New HCPD Officers James Easley and John Hipple were also among SCCJA Class 822 and successfully completed their program. In the months ahead, all four will undergo two months of field training within Horry County before taking on formal roles in the HCPD Patrol Division. 
 
HCPD Chief of Police Kris Leonhardt attended the graduation alongside Deputy Chief of Police Brandon Strickland and shared his pride in all four HCPD graduates:

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“These officers have spent 12 weeks undergoing rigorous training that mentally and physically challenged them. Now, they’ll join the ranks of HCPD and serve the community members of Horry County. I’m proud of their dedication and their accomplishments, and look forward to watching each of them pursue a bright future with HCPD.”
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At the end of the day, the HCPD graduates and Command Staff agreed—it’s all about helping others, whether that’s on a call or as a role model. 
 
“Moving forward I am eager to continue to learn everything I can so that, one day, I can also be the reason someone else aspires to be a police officer for this great county. I hope to diversify my skills and knowledge, so that anywhere I can offer a hand to help, I’m able to do so,” said Porter. 
 
HCPD is currently accepting applications for the role of Police Officer. Candidates who are already certified in South Carolina through SCCJA may apply here, while uncertified candidates may apply here to begin their career.