Yesterday a funeral service and funeral procession took place, to honor Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob “Jake” Eric Salrin, in final goodbye to the fallen law enforcement officer by his South Carolina community.

Here is the official Press Release from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department:

It is with unimaginable sadness that Sheriff Leon Lott announces the death of Deputy Jacob Eric Salrin from a fatal vehicle collision while on duty. Deputy Salrin’s end of watch was September 29, 2023. He was 23 years old.

Deputy Salrin was hired by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in 2022 and graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in January of 2023. At graduation, he was awarded the SCCJA Clifford Moyer Marksmanship Award. He eagerly began serving as a patrol deputy, where he was assigned to southeast Richland County.

As the Richland County Sheriff’s Department mourns the loss of their brother, we thank the community for their support. Funeral details will be released in the coming days.

Please direct any inquires to the RCSD Public Information Office at [email protected]. Condolences may be sent to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at 5623 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC 29223. South Carolina Highway Patrol will lead the investigation into the collision. We ask for the community’s prayers as we navigate this grief together.

Comments can also be left by the public online, on Deputy Salrin’s Officer Down Memorial Page.

Videos Of Entire Funeral Service and Road Procession for Deputy Salrin

At his funeral yesterday, arrived to find long rows of sheriff’s deputies standing stiffly at attention under a cloudless blue sky. An American flag hung from the ladder of a fire truck. The processional was led by a bagpiper, playing “Going Home.”

New recruits and seasoned veterans stood side by side in black uniforms; written in gold lettering on the backs of many uniforms was “Peace Officer.” The old-fashioned title represents a higher ideal of law enforcement, Lott has said.

It was an ideal that Jacob lived up to. Originally from Springfield, Illinois, he joined the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in March 2022 and graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in January 2023. At the academy, he was awarded the Clifford A. Moyer marksmanship award, and just before the accident he was selected as the Deputy of the Quarter for his region. The award will be presented posthumously later this month.

This drive for excellence defined Jacob, said his cousin Chris Salrin, who spoke on behalf of the family.

“He worked daily on becoming the best version, the victorious version of himself,” Salrin said.

Salrin was laid to rest in Elmwood Cemetery in a Catholic ceremony. Following a 21-gun salute, hundreds of law enforcement stood in rows around the grave under the hot sun, as six helicopters flew over in one final salute for the young deputy.

Cause of Death

Deputy Salrin died following a car crash involving a tractor-trailer on Bluff Road on Friday, September 29. The 23-year-old Salrin was on duty at the time of the crash.

The deputy had decided on a career in law enforcement with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in March of 2022. He earned his certification from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy less than a year later, in January 2023. He served in the southeastern region of Richland County at the time of the crash.