S.C. Highway Patrol - Special Report

March trial date set for state trooper on federal charge

COLUMBIA - A federal judge has ordered a South Carolina state trooper caught on video trying to run down a suspect to either plead guilty or stand trial on the charges. Read More

State trooper expected to plead guilty

COLUMBIA - A South Carolina state trooper caught on video bumping a suspect with his patrol car is expected to plead guilty to a federal civil rights charge, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Lance Cpl. Alexander Richardson, 46, was charged this week with a misdemeanor offense of violating civil rights by using excessive force, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald said. Read More

Ex-S.C. trooper pleads guilty

COLUMBIA - A former S.C. trooper caught on video kicking a suspect in the head after a highway chase pleaded guilty Monday to violating the man's civil rights, according to federal court documents. Read More

Cleared S.C. trooper sues AG for legal fees

COLUMBIA - A white South Carolina state trooper cleared by a jury of a civil rights charge after he struck a fleeing black suspect with his patrol car has sued state Attorney Henry McMaster over his legal fees Tuesday. Read More

Lawyer: Man hit by accident

Trooper accused of hitting suspect with cruiser could face prison, $25,000 fine

COLUMBIA - The attorney for a state trooper charged with violating a suspect's civil rights for running into him with his cruiser says it was an "unavoidable accident." "It's tough on him and his family," defense attorney John O'Leary said Wednesday at a pre-trial hearing. "It's been devastating." Read More

Man kicked by state trooper sues

COLUMBIA - A New York man kicked repeatedly by a state trooper during his arrest is suing him and the Public Safety Department. Read More

Second state trooper indicted

He's accused of hitting, kicking prisoner after high speed chase

COLUMBIA — A former state trooper could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for repeatedly kicking a New York man in the head after the man led troopers on a high-speed chase in his dump truck, according to a federal indictment handed down Thursday.Then-Lance Cpl. John B. Sawyer unnecessarily struck and kicked Sergio Caridi in the head several times after Caridi was hit with a stun gun and as he was being restrained by officers in a May 2006 incident on Interstate 95 in Sumter County. Read More

Highway patrolman indicted

Tape shows trooper hitting suspect with his car

COLUMBIA — A state trooper who hit a fleeing suspect with his car has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a civil rights violation charge in what may be the first of several cases against highway patrolmen. Trooper Steve C. Garren, 39, of Greenwood, could face up to a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison for striking a man with his cruiser and later telling other officers, "I nailed the f--- out of him. ... I was trying to hit him." Read More

Seeing might not be believing

Troopers' tapes tell only part of story, prosecutors say

It's as good as a smoking gun to some people: The video shows a state trooper hitting a fleeing suspect with his cruiser, then records him telling other officers that "I was trying to hit him." Read More

Files detail trooper misdeeds

Reports confirm misconduct but also often exonerate officers

COLUMBIA — The files paint a portrait of an agency with troubles: state troopers abusing suspects, stealing equipment, taking money from Hispanic motorists and sabotaging in-car video cameras to hide their actions. These internal affairs reports, requested by the state Senate and obtained by The Post and Courier through the Freedom of Information Act, will be evidence and ammunition in the confirmation hearings for the new director of the Department of Public Safety. ... Read More

Safety chief names floated

Conway police chief could be among possible contenders

COLUMBIA - Six weeks after problems within the Highway Patrol began to surface, names of potential replacements for the head of the Department of Public Safety are being whispered in legislative circles. Gov. Mark Sanford's office is mum on the process but said the state should expect him to recommend a replacement to lead the Highway Patrol's parent agency "sooner rather than later." ... Read More

Senator urges protection for troopers

Whistleblowers fear retaliation, Knotts says

COLUMBIA - Finding and protecting troopers courageous enough to speak up is the key to resolving problems within the state Highway Patrol because troubles have festered for years under the threat of demotions, a glass ceiling or transfers to South Carolina back roads, a state senator said Thursday. Read More

McConnell prepares staff for Highway Patrol probe

COLUMBIA - In an internal memo dated Wednesday, state Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell directs Senate staff on an investigation into the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The memo obtained by The Post and Courier, comes on the heels of shake-ups in the patrol and its parent agency, the Department of Public Safety. Senators will meet today to discuss for the first time evidence of troopers mistreating motorists. Read More

S.C. troopers get less training

Highway patrols in nearby states spend much more time learning jobs

COLUMBIA — South Carolina troopers spend less time in formal training than their counterparts in neighboring states, a problem that has some questioning if it contributed to the misbehavior caught on videotapes that surfaced in the last month. A trooper here spends 4 1/2 months in ba... Read More

Ticket-writing habits: an interactive graphic

The Post and Courier took a look at thousands of traffic tickets and arrests by troopers during the past five years and created an interactive graphic showing trends in ticketing, arrests, arrest rates and racial leanings. Read More