Gov. McMaster makes pick for new SC public safety director
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is nominating North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess to be the next director of the Department of Public Safety, his office confirmed Wednesday.
If approved by the state Senate, Burgess would succeed DPS Director Leroy Smith.
Smith, in an email to employees on Tuesday, said he would not be kept on as director when his terms ends in February. The leadership change at Public Safety, which includes the state’s Highway Patrol, follows efforts by legislators in recent years to oust Smith, citing low morale among troopers and increases in highway fatalities during Smith’s tenure.
If confirmed, Burgess would be one of three African Americans in the governor’s cabinet.
Burgess has been with the North Charleston Police Department since 1989. He worked as a patrol officer, a DARE and GREAT officer, in crime prevention, a school resource officer, a general investigator, a narcotics investigator and in the office of Professional Standards, according to his biography on the department’s website.
Burgess was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday. News of his pending nomination was first reported by The Post and Courier.
“Chief Burgess is one of the finest leaders our state has ever produced,” McMaster wrote in his nomination letter of Burgess to the Senate. “His career in law enforcement and personal achievement is remarkable. I am confident that he will do an excellent job as the new director by restoring employee morale, recruiting and retaining additional troopers and addressing discipline and grievance policies.”
McMaster in his Burgess nomination letter said the members of the highway patrol, protective services and transport police are part of a prestigious law enforcement agency.
“They will always have the confidence, support and appreciation of their governor and their new director,” McMaster wrote.
