YORK COUNTY, SC – York County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Deputy Trent Faris has successfully completed the process that awards the professional designation of “Public Information Officer” (PIO). The Commission on Professional Credentialing® (CPC®) met on June 17, 2024 and voted unanimously to confer the designation. Deputy Faris becomes one of only less than 40 PIOs worldwide to hold this designation, and is the fifth PIO in South Carolina to receive this designation.
The Designation program is a voluntary program designed to recognize individuals who demonstrate their excellence in seven measured components including experience, education, professional development, professional contributions, association membership, community involvement, and technical competence. In addition, all applicants are required to identify a future professional development plan.
The PIO designation program uses a comprehensive peer review model to evaluate candidates seeking the credential. The Commission on Professional Credentialing awards the designation only after an individual successfully meets all the organization’s stringent criteria.
Deputy Faris has served as PIO for the YCSO for 12 years. In 2022, Faris graduated from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Master Public Information Officer program and is one of just a handful of PIOs in the state of South Carolina to hold that designation. Additionally, Faris is a FEMA L105 Basic PIO instructor, member of the Palmetto Alliance of Public Information Officers training seminar council and member of the National Information Officers Association.
The Commission on Professional Credentialing, an entity of the Center for Public Safety Excellence®, Inc., (CPSE®) administers the Designation Program. The CPC consists of individuals from academia, federal and local government, and the fire and emergency medical services profession. To learn more about CPC, visit www.cpse.org/credentialing.
