Gov. McMaster tries again, taps patrol veteran to run SC’s public safety agency
After his first pick for chief of the Department of Public Safety withdrew earlier this year, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has named a new nominee for the position.
McMaster announced Wednesday that he’s chosen Robert Woods for the director of the department, which oversees the state Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Protective Services and the State Transport Police.
Woods has served as the interim director of the agency since Feb. 1. The appointment, if confirmed by the Senate, means a new era of leadership for Public Safety, which has been without a confirmed director since the previous director Leroy Smith left the agency in February.
Smith left after a rocky tenure, filled with legislative efforts to oust him, including a vote by the House in 2017 to fire him. The House’s vote stemmed from complaints of low trooper morale, turnover among the ranks and increasing road fatalities while Smith was director.
Smith announced his departure after learning that McMaster did not have plans to reappoint him to the position.
“Nobody is better suited to lead the South Carolina Department of Public Safety than Mr. Woods, “ McMaster said. “His proven ability to lead and solve complex problems through innovative policy decisions and public outreach will continue to serve South Carolina well and will help the agency maintain its status as one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country.”
Woods has worked with various law enforcement agencies for the last 31 years, including two years with the Charleston Police Department and 29 years with the state Highway Patrol. Woods is also a graduate of The Citadel.
“He is a fine law enforcement professional,” McMaster said.
When he was first asked to head up the department earlier this year, Woods said, “it was the last possibility I expected.”
“I seized the governor’s request as another opportunity to serve,” Woods said.
McMaster’s backing of Woods was lauded by other law enforcement officials, who were with the governor Wednesday at the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy. Among them was State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, who was Woods’ supervisor when Keel served as the director of the Department of Public Safety.
“We are happy today to have Rob Woods as the nominee for the Department of Public Safety. ... I know him. I know where his heart is at,” Keel said.
Woods was also endorsed by the South Carolina Troopers Association Wednesday after McMaster’s announcement.
Woods was first chosen to head up the agency after McMaster’s previous pick for public safety director withdrew his name from consideration in late January. In his withdrawal request, North Charleston Police chief Reggie Burgess cited the emotional toll the process took on his family.
Burgess also received opposition from members of the Senate, who work to confirm the governor’s nominees. During a nearly hour-long, closed-door meeting, Burgess was questioned about old, unpaid taxes.
Some Republican senators predicted a smoother process for Woods during the announcement Wednesday.
“As far as I understand, he’s very well qualified,” S.C. Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, said. “I don’t see anything in the way of his chances going in.”
The Legislature will return in January to take up business, including hearings for McMaster’s nominees.
