# South Carolina Highway Patrol

The South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) 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. 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.

## History

On February 8, 1968, SCHP officers fired on anti-segregation protesters on the campus of the South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. Three were killed and 28 others were injured. This event came to be called the Orangeburg massacre.

## Patrol structure

SCHP Commander
* SCHP Deputy Commander of Administration
* SCHP Deputy Commander of Operations
* Field Operations - Region One
** Troop One
** Troop Two
** Troop Three
** Troop Four
* Field Operations - Region Two
** Troop Five
** Troop Six
** Troop Seven
* Field Operations
** Troop Eight - Area Coordinated Enforcement (ACE)
** Troop Nine - Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team
** Troop Ten
*** Community Relations, Recruiting and FOIA Unit
*** Employment Unit
*** Regulatory Compliance Unit
*** Insurance Enforcement Unit
*** Training Unit
*** Central Evidence Facility
*** Telecommunications
* Administrative Operations

## 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.
Also see Section 1. Chapter 11 of Title 6 of the 1976 Code. This law provides extra information as to what entity has jurisdiction on emergency incidents. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/title6.php

## 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 (Area Coordinated Enforcement) Team: The Area Coordinated Enforcement Team (ACE) is a specialized unit of the South Carolina Highway Patrol that uses crash data to identify areas most in need of special enforcement to curb crashes caused by aggressive driving, speeding and other unsafe driving behaviors..
* 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

## Rank structure

The SCHP uses a paramilitary rank structure.
| Rank title | Information |
| Colonel | Commander of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. |
| Lieutenant Colonel | There are two Deputy Commanders, overseeing Operations and Administrations |
| Major | There are four Majors. overseeing Field Operations |
| Captain | A Captain commands one of the ten Troops. |
| Lieutenant | A Lieutenant commands a post or station. |
| First Sergeant | A First Sergeant is the second in command of a post or station. |
| Sergeant | A Sergeant commands a patrol shift. |
| Corporal | A Corporal acts as a field supervisor. |
| Master Trooper | A Master Trooper has served for at least ten years. |
| Lance Corporal | A Lance Corporal has served for at least five years. |
| Senior Trooper | A Senior Trooper has served for at least three years. |
| Trooper First Class | A Trooper First Class has served for at least eighteen months. |
| Trooper | The initial SCHP rank. |

## Demographics

* Male: 97%
* Female: 3%
* White: 85%
* African-American/Black: 14%
* Asian: 1%

## In the line of duty

Throughout the years of the Patrol, 51 Troopers have died performing their duty.
| Category | Number |
| Automobile crash | 14 |
| Gunfire | 19 |
| Heart attack | 1 |
| Motorcycle crash | 10 |
| Struck by vehicle | 2 |
| Vehicle pursuit | 4 |
| Vehicular assault | 1 |

### Fallen Troopers

| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
| Trooper Daniel Keith Rebman, Jr. | October 24, 2017 | Automobile crash |
| Corporal D. Kevin Cusack | March 27, 2010 | Automobile crash |
| Lance Corporal Jonathan S. Nash | September 19, 2009 | Motorcycle crash |
| Lance Corporal James D. Haynes | February 1, 2008 | Automobile crash |
| Senior Trooper Jonathan W. Parker | May 16, 2005 | Vehicular assault |
| Corporal Kenneth Jeffery Johnson | July 7, 2002 | Gunfire |
| Senior Trooper Michael Joseph Rao | June 12, 2002 | Struck by vehicle |
| Trooper Eric Francis Nicholson | December 6, 2000 | Gunfire |
| Lance Corporal David Travis Bailey | April 5, 2000 | Automobile crash |
| Lance Corporal Jacob Ham Jr. | February 8, 1998 | Heart attack |
| First Sergeant Frankie Lee Lingard | December 31, 1997 | Gunfire |
| Lance Corporal Randall Scott Hewitt | June 23, 1996 | Automobile crash |
| Lance Corporal Michael Allen Chappell | April 17, 1995 | Automobile crash |
| Trooper Randall Lamar Hester | April 20, 1994 | Vehicle pursuit |
| Lance Corporal Mark Hunter Coates | November 20, 1992 | Gunfire |
| Trooper Hardy Merle Godbold | February 28, 1992 | Vehicle pursuit |
| Trooper David Hunter O'Brien | December 14, 1991 | Automobile crash |
| Trooper Marvin L. Titus | November 12, 1991 | Gunfire |
| Trooper Harry McKinley Coker Jr. | June 21, 1989 | Struck by vehicle |
| TFC George Tillman Radford | October 29, 1988 | Gunfire |
| TFC Robert Paul Perry Jr. | April 15, 1987 | Vehicle pursuit |
| TFC Bruce Kenneth Smalls | September 27, 1985 | Gunfire |
| Corporal John R. Clinton | May 24, 1983 | Gunfire |
| PFC David Lee Alverson | November 13, 1981 | Automobile crash |
| Sergeant Robert Aaron Mobley | July 19, 1979 | Gunfire |
| PFC William Edward Peeples | June 8, 1979 | Gunfire |
| PFC Ben Wesley Strickland III | May 31, 1974 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman Fulton House Anthony | March 10, 1973 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman Roy Odes Caffey | October 8, 1972 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman James Amechie Traylor | December 25, 1970 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman Alfred Alexander Thomason | July 27, 1970 | Automobile crash |
| Corporal Richard Varn Woods | August 19, 1969 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman Marion Charles Steele | September 10, 1966 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman John Ray Riddle | January 15, 1961 | Automobile crash |
| Corporal Henry C. Yonce | May 19, 1959 | Automobile crash |
| Patrolman Harry Boyd Ray | September 7, 1958 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman Arnold R. Carter | June 18, 1956 | Vehicle pursuit |
| Patrolman Albert T. Sealy | October 5, 1950 | Automobile crash |
| Patrolman Norris Nettles | January 4, 1942 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman Joseph P. Monroe | September 28, 1941 | Motorcycle crash |
| Patrolman George Gibbs Broome | May 28, 1941 | Automobile crash |
| Patrolman Harlan M. Smith | September 23, 1940 | Motorcycle crash |
| Patrolman Walter T. Bell | February 4, 1939 | Automobile crash |
| Patrolman L. Lawson Rhodes | July 13, 1938 | Motorcycle crash |
| Patrolman Kenneth Earl McNeill | January 2, 1937 | Motorcycle crash |
| Patrolman Edward M. Hennecy | November 19, 1935 | Motorcycle crash |
| Patrolman Edwin D. Milam | December 25, 1934 | Gunfire |
| Patrolman Hansford McKinley Reeves | February 15, 1934 | Motorcycle crash |
| Patrolman John Davenport Cunningham | June 1, 1933 | Motorcycle crash |
| Patrolman William Pierre Lancaster | June 9, 1932 | Motorcycle crash |
| Patrolman Ralph W. McCracken | October 12, 1931 | 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.

## Sidearm

In 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.
The last revolver used was the Smith & Wesson Model 66 .357 magnum which is a derivative of the Smith & Wesson Model 19