‘No confidence’: Legislators call for resignation of SC Public Safety chief

Members of an S.C. House panel are seeking the resignation of one of the state’s top cops.

The House of Representatives Legislative Oversight Committee sent a letter to Gov. Henry McMaster asking he seek the resignation of Leroy Smith, the director of the Department of Public Safety, according to multiple media reports.

“When the climate at the Department of Public Safety is such that its mission is compromised as a consequence of the failure of leadership, change is needed,” the letter stated. “We have no confidence in the Director of the Department of Public Safety and believe the citizens of our great state, and the dedicated men and women of the Highway Patrol, deserve better.”

This isn’t the first time some of the members of the panel call for Smith’s resignation. In March, the S.C. House of Representatives voted 76-20 to fire Smith through a proposal introduced by House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland.

On Monday, The State reported on declining morale at the state’s highway patrol agency, which is overseen by the Department of Public Safety.

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 8:02 AM with the headline "‘No confidence’: Legislators call for resignation of SC Public Safety chief."