Nov 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 11

AROUND THE COUNTRY
RICHLAND CNTY, SC.
Richland County Deputy Jacob Eric Salrin died from a fatal
vehicle collision that occurred on September 29th.
RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. – The
Richland County Sheriff’s Department
announced Saturday
one of their deputies died in a
car crash while on duty.
23-year-old Deputy Jacob Eric
Salrin was killed in a crash on
Friday, September 29.
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.
According to the South Carolina
Highway Patrol, the crash
occurred on Bluff Road. Salrin
was the driver of a 2017 Ford
that was traveling west when it
collided with a tractor-trailer
traveling east.
Troopers said Salrin died at the
scene.
“As the Richland County Sheriff’s
Department mourns the loss
of their brother, we thank the
community for their support,”
deputies said.
After Richland County Deputy
Jacob Salrin died, his family and
friends found themselves encouraging
each other in texts to
be more like Jake.
That means trying to smile like
Jake, laugh like Jake, be humble
like Jake, work like Jake, draft
20 The BLUES
fantasy football picks like Jake,
eat bacon like Jake — the list
goes on and on.
“Through it all, be like Jake,
and, of course, serve like Jake,”
Chris Salrin said during his cousin’s
funeral Oct. 5.
Law enforcement officers
from across the state crowded
into The Meeting Place Church
in northeast Columbia, where
representatives from Charleston
to Greenville and everywhere in
between paid their respects.
Salrin died early in his career.
Originally from Springfield, Ill.,
Salrin decided to join the Richland
County Sheriff’s Department
in March 2022. He trained at the
South Carolina Criminal Justice
Academy, graduating in January
2023.
There, Salrin earned the Clifford
Moyer Marksmanship Award,
which goes to the highest-scoring
shooter of each class.
At the sheriff’s department,
Salrin patrolled southeast Richland
County, which was where
he struck a tractor trailer attempting
to make a left turn on
Broad River Road. “Our brother
was unafraid and a true guardian
of the Lower Richland community,”
Sheriff’s Department
OFFICER JACOB SALRIN
Chaplain Chris Hutnyak said.
“Rest easy, crimefighter.”
By Skylar Laird slaird@postandcourier.com
Salrin loved his family, particularly
his older sister, Allie Salrin-Zammuto,
who was his best
friend and biggest supporter,
Chris Salrin said. Allie and Jacob
were so close, it was rare to
hear one name without the other.
“Allie and Jake, or Jake and
Allie, ranked up there with other
famous duos, like Batman and
Robin, Han Solo and Chewbacca,
peanut butter and jelly — you get
the idea,” Chris Salrin said.