South Carolina Highway Patrol
South Carolina Dept. Of Public Safety | |
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![]() Patch of South Carolina Highway Patrol | |
Common name | Highway Patrol |
Abbreviation | SCHP |
Motto | Courtesy-Efficiency-Service |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1930 |
Employees | 1100+ (as of 2008) |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | South Carolina, USA |
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SCHP Troop Map | |
Size | 32,020 square miles (82,900 km2) |
Population | 4,679,230 (2011 est.)[1] |
Governing body | South Carolina Department of Public Safety |
General nature |
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Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Blythewood, South Carolina |
Troopers | 955 (as of 2008)[2] |
Civilian members | 180 (as of 2004)[3] |
Agency executive |
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Special Units | ACE/Motorcycle/K9 MAIT CERT Insurance Enforcement |
Facilities | |
Troops | 11 |
Website | |
http://www.scdps.gov/schp |
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for South Carolina, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state except for federal or military installations. The Highway Patrol was created in 1930 and is an organization with a rank structure similar to the armed forces.[4] The mission of the South Carolina Highway Patrol includes enforcing the rules and regulations in order to ensure road way safety and reducing crime as outlined by South Carolina law. The Highway Patrol is the largest division of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and its headquarters is located in Blythewood. This department also includes the South Carolina State Transport Police Division, and the South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services.
The Highway Patrol has many responsibilities. The primary job of the rank and file trooper is traffic law enforcement. This includes traffic collision investigation, issuing warning tickets and citations for traffic violations, and finding, arresting, and processing impaired drivers. A state trooper is a sworn peace officer, and although their primary duty is traffic enforcement, they can perform other law enforcement functions.
Patrol structure[]
SCHP Commander SCHP Deputy Commander
- Field Operations
- Troop One
- Troop Two
- Troop Three
- Troop Four
- Field Operations - Region Two
- Troop Five
- Troop Six
- Troop Seven
- Troop Eight
- Operations Support
- Training Unit
- Emergency Traffic Management Unit
- SCHP Telecommunications
- Administrative Support
- Troop Nine - Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team
- Troop Ten - Administrative and Regulatory Compliance
- Employment Unit
- Resource Management Unit
- Community Relations & Recruiting Unit
- Liaison Unit
- School Bus Safety Program
Highway Patrol duties[]
The agency has specific jurisdiction over all South Carolina state highways, U.S. Highways, Interstate highways in the state and all public roads. Local city police or the counties sheriff's department having a contract with an incorporated city have responsibility to investigate and enforce traffic laws in incorporated cities. However, the SCHP can still enforce traffic laws on any public road anywhere in the state regardless if it is in an incorporated or unincorporated city. SCHP has authority over any incident that would require a Trooper's response.
SCHP troopers are responsible for investigating and disposing of car accidents, debris, dead animals and other impediments to the free flow of traffic. They are often the first government officials at the scene of an accident (or obstruction), and in turn summon EMS/Fire (although, their dispatch often does this long before they are on scene), tow truck drivers or SCDOT personnel. The SCHP files traffic collision reports for state highways and within unincorporated areas.
The patrol has around 800 employees, of whom 650 are sworn Troopers, and 150 civilians.
Specialized units[]
- The Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT): investigates complicated vehicle crashes, using state-of-the-art technology and analysis to reconstruct the scene.
- The Civil Emergency Response Team (CERT): responds to civil emergencies using specialized training, tactics and equipment.
- The ACE (Aggressive Criminal Enforcement) Team: works specifically to curtail trafficking and transportation of illegal drugs on South Carolina roadways and includes the K-9 Corps, which assists in tracking drugs. Also includes the Motorcycle Unit, and Safety Improvement Team.
- The Telecommunications Centers: work dispatching troopers to incident scenes and assist the public with emergency calls.
- The Insurance Enforcement Unit: works closely with the Department of Motor Vehicles to identify uninsured drivers and take them off the highways.
- Community Relations Office: includes uniformed troopers and civilian staff around the state dedicated to educating the public and media about the Highway Patrol and highway safety.
- Governor's Security Detail: works with the State Law Enforcement Division to provide security for the South Carolina Governor and his or her family.
- Emergency Management Unit: monitors emergency traffic issues and coordinates hurricane evacuation efforts
Demographics[]
- Male: 97%
- Female: 3%
- White: 85%
- African-American/Black: 14%
- Asian: 1%[5]
In the line of duty[]
Throughout the years of the Patrol, 51 Troopers have died performing their duty.[6][7]
Category | Number |
---|---|
Automobile crash | |
Gunfire | |
Heart attack | |
Motorcycle crash | |
Vehicular assault |
Fallen officers[]
Officer | Date of Death | Details |
---|---|---|
Trooper Daniel Keith Rebman, Jr. | Automobile crash | |
Corporal D. Kevin Cusack | Automobile crash | |
Lance Corporal Jonathan S. Nash | Motorcycle crash | |
Lance Corporal James D. Haynes | Automobile crash | |
Senior Trooper Jonathan W. Parker | Vehicular assault | |
Corporal Kenneth Jeffery Johnson | Gunfire | |
Senior Trooper Michael Joseph Rao | Struck by vehicle | |
Trooper Eric Francis Nicholson | Gunfire | |
Lance Corporal David Travis Bailey | Automobile crash | |
Lance Corporal Jacob Ham Jr. | Heart attack | |
First Sergeant Frankie Lee Lingard | Gunfire | |
Lance Corporal Randall Scott Hewitt | Automobile crash | |
Lance Corporal Michael Allen Chappell | Automobile crash | |
Trooper Randall Lamar Hester | Vehicle pursuit | |
Lance Corporal Mark Hunter Coates | Gunfire | |
Trooper Hardy Merle Godbold | Vehicle pursuit | |
Trooper David Hunter O'Brien | Automobile crash | |
Trooper Marvin L. Titus | Gunfire | |
Trooper Harry McKinley Coker Jr. | Struck by vehicle | |
TFC George Tillman Radford | Gunfire | |
TFC Robert Paul Perry Jr. | Vehicle pursuit | |
TFC Bruce Kenneth Smalls | Gunfire | |
Corporal John R. Clinton | Gunfire | |
PFC David Lee Alverson | Automobile crash | |
Sergeant Robert Aaron Mobley | Gunfire | |
PFC William Edward Peeples | Gunfire | |
PFC Ben Wesley Strickland III | Gunfire | |
Patrolman Fulton House Anthony | Gunfire | |
Patrolman Roy Odes Caffey | Gunfire | |
Patrolman James Amechie Traylor | Gunfire | |
Patrolman Alfred Alexander Thomason | Automobile crash | |
Corporal Richard Varn Woods | Gunfire | |
Patrolman Marion Charles Steele | Gunfire | |
Patrolman John Ray Riddle | Automobile crash | |
Corporal Henry C. Yonce | Automobile crash | |
Patrolman Harry Boyd Ray | Gunfire | |
Patrolman Arnold R. Carter | Vehicle pursuit | |
Patrolman Albert T. Sealy | Automobile crash | |
Patrolman Norris Nettles | Gunfire | |
Patrolman Joseph P. Monroe | Motorcycle crash | |
Patrolman George Gibbs Broome | Automobile crash | |
Patrolman Harlan M. Smith | Motorcycle crash | |
Patrolman Walter T. Bell | Automobile crash | |
Patrolman L. Lawson Rhodes | Motorcycle crash | |
Patrolman Kenneth Earl McNeill | Motorcycle crash | |
Patrolman Edward M. Hennecy | Motorcycle crash | |
Patrolman Edwin D. Milam | Gunfire | |
Patrolman Hansford McKinley Reeves | Motorcycle crash | |
Patrolman John Davenport Cunningham | Motorcycle crash | |
Patrolman William Pierre Lancaster | Motorcycle crash | |
Patrolman Ralph W. McCracken | Motorcycle crash |
Special programs[]
Auxiliary Trooper Program
- Auxiliary Troopers assist highly trained, seasoned state troopers in enforcement support on daily patrols; to assist with traffic and crowd control at special events; and provide support during natural disasters such as hurricanes.
- Auxiliary Troopers receive more than 130 hours of training for certification by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
- To maintain auxiliary status, the Auxiliary Trooper serves minimum of 20 hours per month or 60 hours each quarter of the calendar year.
Fatality Victims Memorial
- The Fatality Victims Memorial is a website that families of those persons killed on South Carolina highways can put information about their loved ones.
Child Safety Seatbelt Demonstration
Trooper Public Speaking Program
Vehicles used[]
The South Carolina Highway Patrol use many different varieties of marked, semi-marked, and unmarked vehicles, like many other law enforcement agencies in South Carolina and the rest of the United States. Most vehicles are a part of fleets, usually late 1990s to as recent as 2010 Ford Crown Victoria or the modified versions of the Crown Vic (as it is commonly called), The Ford Police Interceptor. Also used are 2007 to present Dodge Charger of modified LX and SRT-8 body styles, and starting in 2012, the Ford Taurus and Ford Explorer, and Chevrolet Tahoe. They also used Chevrolet Caprices, Ford Mustang SSP's, and Ford Crown Victorias.[8]
Sidearm[]
As of 2017, the South Carolina Highway Patrol issues the 9mm Glock Model 17M.
Troopers were previously issued the Glock Model 37 .45 GAP and the Glock Model 22 .40 S&W.[9]
The last revolver used was the Smith & Wesson Model 66 .357 magnum which is a derivative of the Smith & Wesson Model 19
See also[]
- Orangeburg massacre
- List of law enforcement agencies in South Carolina
- State police
- State patrol
- Highway patrol
- Mark H. Coates Highway
References[]
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-08-07. Retrieved 2010-08-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 2007 Population Estimates
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-01-18. Retrieved 2009-01-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics Census of Law Enforcement Agencies Archived 2008-11-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "SCDPS.gov Redirect Notice". Afc5102.scdps.gov. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2007-06-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers
- ^ "Fallen Troopers Memorial". Retrieved 2019-03-20. SCHP Memorial
- ^ "South Carolina Highway Patrol memorial". Retrieved 2019-03-20. The Officer Down Memorial Page
- ^ SC Highway Patrol to use mix of cars. Archived 2012-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Bridging the .45 GAP". Personaldefenseworld.com. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
External links[]
- State law enforcement agencies of South Carolina
- Government agencies established in 1930
- 1930 establishments in South Carolina