Midlands police chief is out after 3 months on the job, town announces
Just three months after he started on the job, a small South Carolina town’s police chief is gone.
The town of South Congaree announced in an emailed statement on Tuesday that Police Chief C.J. Quinlan “is no longer employed by the Town.”
“As this is a personnel matter, the Town will not comment further on specific details surrounding the separation,” the statement said.
Quinlan had been sworn in as the town’s new police chief in a ceremony at town hall only last February, replacing former chief Steven Jonas. Jonas had been in the job for a little more than a year when he retired last September after being involved in a car crash.
The separation came before a specially called town council meeting Tuesday where council members spent almost two hours in a closed-door executive session on “personnel matters” related to the town police department and its leave policy.
Council members didn’t take any action in public session on those issues, but Quinlan told WIS TV he quickly received pushback after he was hired earlier this year on how we wanted to operate the police department.
The former police chief also said he had asked for time off to focus on is mental health, WIS reported. Within the past week, Quinlan said he was locked out of his office and his work email before he was notified of his termination on Monday.
Quinlan came to South Congaree after a 30-year career in both law enforcement and the military. He served in the Marine Corps and the Army before becoming a police officer, and had previously worked as a SWAT commander, special operations training officer and an assistant chief of police. He had previously been awarded the S.C. Medal of Valor by a resolution of the S.C. Legislature.
When Quinlan took the job in February, Town Administrator Crystal Bouknight said in a statement that “Chief Quinlan exemplifies professionalism in every sense of the word.
“His experience, discipline, and commitment to public service make him the right leader to guide our police department forward and strengthen trust within our community,” Bouknight said.
The town said in a statement on Tuesday that operations of the police department “will continue without interruption.” News outlets have reported that Quinlan’s departure will leave the town of 2,300 will only three active police officers.
South Congaree is located in southeastern Lexington County near the intersection with Interstate 26 and Interstate 77, just south of Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
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