Unguarded travel in spotlight

A state agency responsible for guarding and transporting Gov. Mark Sanford doesn't keep records documenting the governor's personal use of its vehicles, including an SUV he took to the airport June 18 so he could fly to see his Argentine mistress.

The State Law Enforcement Division supplies vehicles for Sanford's security detail, including the 2006 Chevrolet Suburban the governor drove to Columbia's airport for his secret South American flight.

In response to a request under the state's Freedom of Information Act, SLED told The Post and Courier it doesn't keep any documents, logs, schedules or other records for vehicles used by the governor, or when Sanford dismissed his security detail.

The absence of a paper trail for the governor's movements comes amid reports Thursday that Sanford left the Governor's Mansion without security 77 times in the past 18 months and calls by the state's top law enforcement officers for clear rules on how to best protect the governor.

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Sanford has a long history of resisting security. Less than a week after his election in 2002, Sanford axed his security detail until he was inaugurated, citing costs to the state budget. "There were times when he would want to get away," SLED Director Reggie Lloyd told reporters last week. "He's been in office 6 1/2 years. He very much values his time away from the office."

Lloyd said his agency has no legal authority to refuse Sanford's request to dismiss his guards.

According to security logs kept at the Governor's Mansion, which were obtained by The State newspaper through the state's open records law, Sanford left the mansion without security accompanying him 38 times in 2008 and 39 times this year. The newspaper said many of Sanford's unescorted trips were to jog or ride his bike.

SLED handles most of the governor's security, with the Department of Public Safety handling security at the Governor's Mansion. The Department of Natural Resources shares responsibilities for protecting the governor and occasionally provides officers to the governor's security details.

Mark Keel, director of the Department of Public Safety, said it would be helpful for SLED and his agency to have better guidance on how to protect the state's highest elected official.

He said security details develop a keen sense of responsibility for the safety of their charges and anxiety when they go out in public unprotected. Security officers don't necessarily fear that someone with a grudge will try to harm the governor, he said. "It's also the everyday stuff we all face, going to a gas station that gets held up or being in an accident. ... When everything is going fine, great, but if something happens, everyone is going to look at us and ask why we weren't doing our job."

Some lawmakers have questioned Sanford's unescorted use of SLED vehicles.

State Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, said people who aren't commissioned law enforcement officers typically aren't allowed to drive police cars with blue lights and other gear.

But Lloyd said that's the case with his agency's vehicles. "There is no restriction (on) the governor to drive a SLED vehicle with or without blue lights," he said. The agency has no formal policy for the governor's use of its vehicles, added Jennifer Timmons, SLED's communications director.

Reach Tony Bartelme at tbartelme@postandcourier.com or 937-5554.