Beaufort Police Chief Matt Clancy dies after years-long cancer fight
Beaufort Police Chief Matt Clancy died Wednesday after years-long battle with cancer.
Clancy, 56, died at his home Wednesday evening, the department said in a statement Thursday morning. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and had continued working while undergoing treatment.
“I speak for all members of our department when I say that we lost a great man and tremendous leader, but we are better men and women for having had the opportunity to have worked alongside him,” police investigator Stephanie Karafa said in a statement posted to the department’s Facebook page. “Chief Clancy, it is your time to rest. We will take it from here.”
The agency said Clancy had been treated for neuroendocrine cancer. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Clancy has been with the department since 1997 and police chief since 2008. He graduated from The Citadel in 1986 and was an infantry officer in the Marine Corps before beginning his law enforcement career with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
He had continued his role as the city’s top law enforcement officer throughout his treatment for the disease, appearing as the public face of the department during public meetings and events.
Clancy was a father of two sons, Tyler and Connor, and was married for more than 30 years to his wife, Lisa. He was a proud dad who talked often about his sons’ involvement in church and sports, said city manager Bill Prokop.
“He was a remarkable man; you would have never known that he had cancer,” Prokop said. “He did not miss a beat in his work or his development of that department.”
Prokop noted Clancy’s participation with the FBI National Academy and work to achieve state accreditation for the department
In a meeting in late June, Clancy discussed policing policies with City Council and community activists in the wake of protests following the death of George Floyd.
As part of a U.S. Justice Department initiative started in 2015 to study how police agencies can improve diversity and better represent communities, Clancy’s department was included as a model of encouraging practices.
The report noted Clancy’s preference to recruit in part from local Marine and Navy bases because he said military service shows an ability to work with a diverse group of people. The document also referenced a summer movie club that allows Beaufort officers to interact with children and hiring practices that value an ability to connect with underrepresented communities.
“I have commended him for it and talked to him to his face and said ‘I commend you for what you are doing.’” Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce president Larry Holman said recently of the agency’s record of hiring Black officers. ”He said ‘Larry, I’m hiring the best people.’”
Clancy helped organize local law enforcement leaders for regular meetings to talk about crime data, upcoming training and anything else agencies needed to share, Port Royal Police Chief Alan Beach said.
“We couldn’t ask for a better partner in law enforcement to work with,” Beach said. “He was always here for us.
“When we had things happen in Port Royal and we were down a man or two, before I could even reach out to him he was calling my cell phone wanting to know what we needed. And he’s always been like that.”
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Beaufort Police Chief Matt Clancy dies after years-long cancer fight."
