The Richland County Sheriff’s Office recently participated in mediation in the lawsuit filed by the estate of Maggie Copeland and has been asked to comment publicly. As the process is not complete, it would be inappropriate to comment upon the terms of any proposed settlement.
It is an unfortunate reality that heroin and other illegal drug abuse is a public health emergency in our community. Not only does drug abuse destroy lives and families, but it also places great strain on the delivery of public services and on our dedicated public servants.
At the Richland County Jail, we conduct extensive training of our corrections staff to provide these services in the challenging setting of a drug abuse inflicted community. Any settlement of the Copeland case would be with the participation of other Defendants and would reaffirm that the Richland County Sheriff’s Office denies any liability or fault in the allegations brought by the Estate of Maggie Copeland.
We look forward to the completion of this case so that Captain Blunk and our other dedicated public servants can keep their focus on providing the best services possible to Richland County.
