First Sergeant Mark Thompson never needed action figurines as a child. Growing up the son and grandson of law enforcement officers provided its share of action — and inspiration.
“I’d see a trooper, and the uniform would immediately stand out,” Thompson, who is retiring after nearly 30 years of law enforcement and military service, said of seeing South Carolina state troopers as a child. “The Highway Patrol has a standard of excellence. That’s where I wanted to be. It’s in my blood.”
Thompson’s career began out of high school when he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, serving for four years in New Jersey. He returned home in 1998 and went to work for the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office to remain close to his ailing father. After six years, Thompson joined the South Carolina Highway Patrol in 2005 and was assigned to Darlington and Marlboro counties.
Since joining the patrol, Thompson has served on the state DUI team and the Safety Improvement Team. But it was one of the patrol’s specialized teams that left the biggest impression on him — the Area Coordinated Enforcement (ACE) Unit. ACE is a specialized unit that uses crash data to identify areas most in need of special enforcement and focuses enforcement efforts on reducing the unsafe driving behaviors that lead to collisions in those areas. Over the years, Thompson was promoted to sergeant and then first sergeant of the ACE Unit.
“There is a strong camaraderie between me and my fellow troopers,” he said. “It’s not just a job, it’s a family. We look out for each other.”
Many moments have made outlasting impressions on Thompson, but one always sticks out among the rest. While working in Darlington County, he worked a crash that killed a little girl who went to his church.
“That little girl reminded me of my daughters,” recalled Thompson. “When younger people are in crash like that, they didn’t live as long as they should’ve. It hits differently.”
Tragedies like this reaffirmed Thompson’s drive and dedication to trying to prevent collisions and fatalities. It’s on those difficult days that he leans on his wife, Dionne, and their daughters Adelaide, Brianna, and Caydon for support. But, he said, the patrol has been like a second family.
“I remember my captain saying, ‘If you miss something with your family, it’s your fault,’” he recalled. “Now if we’ve got a hurricane or something major going on, that’s one thing. But if you miss a dance recital, a ballgame, or a piano recital, that’s on you. If you had told us about it, we could have worked it out and gotten somebody to cover for you so you can be there.”
Thompson punctuated his career on a poignant but fitting note. On one of his final days in the office in June, he served on the hiring board that screens prospective troopers for employment.
“The Highway Patrol is in good hands. There are a lot of good young supervisors and troopers who have the mindset and the skills to keep this agency on the right path,” he said. “As far as success goes, you can look back on your career and what you’ve done, but the path you’ve laid and people that you’ve touched means the most of all.”
