A Midlands police chief has handed in his resignation. Here’s what we know
The chief of the Cayce Police Department has resigned after just a few months on the job.
The city of Cayce said in a Friday morning release that it had accepted the resignation of Chief Herbert Blake, effective immediately. The city didn’t initially provide greater detail surrounding the resignation.
“We have a senior command staff and a fully capable police force that will continue to serve our city and to keep our citizens safe,” interim Cayce city manager Jim Crosland said in a statement. “We have an immediate plan to resume our search for the right person to lead our Cayce Police Department.”
Blake’s hiring was announced by the city in September.
“Thank you very much for the opportunity you afforded me,” Blake wrote in his brief, three-sentence letter relinquishing the position.
Before arriving in Cayce, Blake had been the chief deputy of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office in Asheville. A native South Carolinian, Blake started his law enforcement career in the Palmetto State at the Ridgeland Police Department. Following that, he served as police chief of the Loris Police Department in Horry County for seven years before serving 13 years as chief for the Hendersonville Police Department in North Carolina.
Blake was hired to replace Chris Cowan, who resigned his position as Cayce’s chief in July. Cowan left Cayce for the University of South Carolina’s Joseph F. Rice School of Law, joining a grant-funded program to support law enforcement agencies with professional development and leadership training.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be in a city of this size, proximity, with the goals and objectives that I think is going to move this community forward in a very positive way,” Blake said at his introductory press conference in Cayce on Oct. 29, comparing his would-be new jurisdiction to his previous one in Hendersonville.
The city was unable to provide information regarding Blake’s compensation. When asked about his compensation package and salary, a city spokesperson explained that because Blake was within the introductory 90-day period of the job, his salary information was not available. The State has filed a public records request for more information.
Over his four years in Buncombe County, Blake received almost $30,000 in salary raises. When he left in July, he was making $142,935, according to personnel files obtained by The State.
Blake was in the process of being recertified as a South Carolina law enforcement officer by the state Criminal Justice Academy. His state certification had lapsed following his departure from the Loris Police Department, where he served as chief for seven years. He left that post in 2008, according to The Island Packet.
Cayce is a city of about 14,000 just west of Columbia, across the Congaree River. The city split its public safety division in Jan. 2022 to create separate police and fire departments.
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 10:49 AM.
