South Carolina police academy exam cheating allegations have led to the removal of 10 Mount Pleasant Police Department officers, after the agency said two internal investigations found officers provided and received test answers. Police Chief Mark Arnold said the department will not release further details because the matters are subject to appeal through the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.
Mount Pleasant Police opened an internal investigation after receiving information about possible cheating on a South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy test, according to a statement from Chief Mark Arnold. The first investigation resulted in the termination of two officers, Arnold said.
Arnold said information learned during that initial inquiry led to a second internal investigation. That second review determined eight additional officers had provided and received test answers. He said those eight officers cooperated during the process and were separated from the department at the conclusion of the investigation.
The department has publicly confirmed only a limited set of facts: the inquiry involved a state academy test, the investigation was initiated after the agency received information suggesting possible cheating, and the outcome was the removal of 10 officers in total through terminations and separations.
Arnold said the matters are subject to appeal through the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, which oversees law enforcement officer certification in the state. The department indicated it would not make additional statements at this time.
