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Lieutenant Thomas Adams earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and Curriculum Development from Southern Illinois University and Master of Arts in Education from The Citadel. He is a 2018 graduate of the LECC/SCLEOA SC Law Enforcement Commanders College.
During his 20-year tenure in law enforcement he was assigned to following areas: Uniform Patrol Division, Special Operations Division, Team 4 Investigations, Central Investigation Division, Professional Development and Training, Community Outreach, Commander of Team Three Patrol Division (James/Johns Island) and Chief of Staff for Chief Reynolds. He is currently assigned as the Training Commander and the SWAT/Bomb/K9 Commander.
In addition to his various assignments, Lieutenant Adams has served on the Civil Disturbance Unit, Underwater Recovery Unit and has been an operator on the SWAT Team for 16 years including 5 years as the Team Leader. Additionally, he served eight years as a Navy Diver attached to Explosive Ordinance Disposal Mobile Unit Six prior to joining the City of Charleston Police Department in 1999.
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Lieutenant Byrne has more than 20 years of law enforcement
experience. He has been assigned as the Team 9 commander since May, 2019,
overseeing the officers who patrol the city’s Central Business District along
King Street, Market Street, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Lieutenant
Byrne joined the Charleston Police Department in January, 2000, and his initial
assignment was as a patrol officer in Team 4. He was promoted to the rank
of Corporal in 2003, to Sergeant in 2007, and to Lieutenant in 2012. He
served as a patrol supervisor in Teams 4 and 1, and he spent three years as an
investigator in the Professional Standards Office. His previous command
roles have included serving as a midnight shift Command Duty Officer and as the
Team 5 Commander.
Prior to joining the Charleston Police Department, Lieutenant Byrne served as a Border Patrol Agent with the United States Border Patrol. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, with dual majors in Business, Economics, and the Law, and Political Science. Lieutenant Byrne is a graduate of Session 74 of PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP). He was a joint recipient of the 2006 Officer of the Year award from the Exchange Club of Charleston. He is a member of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI).
In addition to his various assignments, Lieutenant Cretella is the assistant commander of the Civil Disturbance Unit and has been a member since 2006. He currently oversees the Department’s TASER and Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) programs and is involved in leadership classes that the Department hosts.
His educational background includes graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Justice from the State University of New York College at Oswego. He received his Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University in 2001.
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Lieutenant Robert Gamard graduated from the University of South Carolina in the Spring of 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. In August 1997 he attended the First Police Corps Training Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating from the Police Corps, he began working here at the Charleston Police Department in the Patrol Division. His previous experience includes 13 years in the Uniformed Patrol Division (Team’s One, Two, Three and Foot Patrol) along with assignments in the warrants division as well as the Administrative Sergeant in both Team’s One and Two. When assigned to Team One, he also served on the CPD Hiring Board and as the Patrol Training Coordinator for new recruits. He also served as a midnight Command Duty Officer and Team Two Commander. He is a recent graduate of the Senior Management Institute of Police (SMIP) in Boston, MA.
In addition to the above various assignments, Lieutenant Gamard has assisted in instructing many training classes here at CPD to include Leadership, Block Training and the Field Training Program. He is also a certified OC and Taser Instructor. He is a co-commander of the Peer Support Team. He is currently assigned as the Crimes Against Property Commander, in the Central Investigations Division.
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Lieutenant Charles Hawkins
Lieutenant Charles Hawkins is currently assigned to the Operations Bureau, Commander, Team One. In this capacity, he is directly responsible for all police related operations encompassing the northeast end of the peninsula of Charleston. He accomplishes his mission with 75 sworn personnel. Lt. Hawkins began his career with the Charleston Police Department in 1984 after serving two years with the Department of Public Safety as a patrol officer assigned to Trident Technical College in North Charleston, S.C. Since joining the Charleston Police Department he has held critical positions in the Operations, Administrative, and Investigative Bureaus and is well versed in all aspects of police field and internal operations. He is a graduate of the 182nd Session, FBI National Academy, and during his career has traveled across the county speaking to community groups on strategies to impact neighborhood crime and crime reductions initiatives. He also serves as an executive board member with the Police Association for College Education, chartered to improve professional standards in policing through formal college education initiatives.
Lieutenant Heath King is currently assigned as the Commander of Team Four (West Ashley). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina.
He is also a 1997 graduate of the Baltimore, Maryland Police Corps Academy. After graduating from the Police Corps, he began at the Charleston Police Department in the Team One patrol division. Lt. King also spent time in Team Four and as a fugitive investigator in the Warrants Division. He also spent time in the Traffic Division as a motor officer and supervisor. He was certified in Collision Reconstruction and assisted in the investigation of major collisions that occurred in the city. Lt. King also served as patrol supervisor in the Team Two area and was assigned as the Tourism liaison for the Police Department. He works daily with the city’s business services, zoning, planning and transportation departments to maintain a successful management plan for the city’s growing hospitality areas. Prior to his current assignment, Lt. King was the Commander of Team Nine (Central Business District), the portion of the city that included the Market and King Street.
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Lieutenant Patrick McLaughlin graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology in May of 2002. He joined the Charleston Police Department in August of 2002 and served as a patrol officer in Team 1 for 6 years. From there, he was assigned to the Accreditation Office and assisted in maintaining the Department’s CALEA accreditation. In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and served as a patrol supervisor in Teams 1, 2 and 4. In 2012, he was selected to become the Department’s Accreditation Manager and presided over the process through 2 consecutive Gold Standard on-sites where the Department received Accreditation with Excellence. In 2018, Lieutenant McLaughlin was promoted to his current rank and assigned to serve as a midnight shift Command Duty Officer. Lieutenant McLaughlin currently serves as the Patrol Commander of Team 5 on Daniel Island.
In addition to his various assignments, Lieutenant McLaughlin has been a Specific Skills Instructor and a Driving Instructor since 2009. He has assisted in the instruction of many training classes for the Department to include: Block training, Pre-Academy, CALEA familiarization and Driving. He has also received a Departmental Commendation, a SC House of Representatives Resolution, and was awarded the Department’s Lifesaver Award in 2016.
Lieutenant Corey Taylor
Lieutenant Corey Taylor grew up in North Charleston, SC and graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 2004 and a Master of Science in Mathematics in 2006. Lieutenant Taylor joined the Charleston Police Department in June of 2008 after serving as a mathematics teacher at West Ashley High School from 2004-2008. After graduation from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and being awarded the J.P. Strom Award, he served as a patrol officer, field training officer, and bicycle patrol officer in Team 1 until 2014. He was then transferred to Special Operations/Traffic where he remained until he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2016. He then served as a patrol sergeant in Team 2 until being transferred to the Team 4 Community Action Team in 2017. In 2018, he was transferred back to Special Operations/Traffic where he served as a supervisor on the Charleston Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Team. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 2019 and currently serves as the Commander of Team 3, which covers James and Johns Islands.
Lieutenant Taylor has been recognized for his dedication to traffic enforcement and community activities by the 9th Circuit Law Enforcement Network. He received the SC Department of Public Safety DUI Hero award for his dedication to reducing impaired driving collisions. He also served as the director of the Charleston Police Department's GO 360 Youth basketball camp in 2017 and 2018.
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Lieutenant Matthew Wojslawowicz was born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey and graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Wojslawowicz joined the Charleston Police Department in January 2004. After graduation from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, he served as a patrol officer and field training officer in Team 4 until 2006, when he was transferred to Special Operations / Traffic. In 2010, he was transferred to the Central Investigations Division where he remained until he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2011. Wojslawowicz then served as a patrol sergeant in Team 2 until being transferred to Special Units / Team 7 as the administrative sergeant in 2012. In 2018, Wojslawowicz was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and currently serves as the Commander of Special Operations / Traffic and oversees the Charleston Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Unit, Harbor Patrol Unit, K-9 Unit, Prisoner Transport Unit, Reserve Police Officers, and Community Service Officers (volunteers). He is the Commander of the Major Accident Investigation Team and serves as the chairman of the Accident & Safety Review Board for the Department.