‘I have to help people’: Retiring BPS officer ponders what’s next after 27 years of protecting, serving, and comforting
Tue, 03/11/2025
Over the past 27 years, Master Officer Chris Kirkpatrick has helped protect some of the most powerful leaders in South Carolina: From legislators at…From the roadside to the classroom, SC trooper takes education to a new level as a substitute teacher
Fri, 02/28/2025
Every South Carolina state trooper plays an important role in the education of the public. But Corporal William Safford takes it a step further — by…From typewriters to smartphones: SCHP’s Patricia Sloan reflects on 37 years at Troop 1 HQ
Thu, 02/13/2025
Thirty-seven years may seem like a long time to get up and go work at the same place every day. But for Patricia Sloan — who saw the Highway Patrol…‘I thought I was already dead’: STP officer makes inspiring comeback after rare, deadly lung disease
Fri, 02/07/2025
Master Officer Tyrone Williams knows he shouldn’t be here — not after a bout with Legionnaires’ Disease that plunged him into a coma for two weeks,…‘I must have done something right’: SCHP trooper who guarded three governors retires after 22 years
Mon, 01/13/2025
Very few people have the huge opportunity — and responsibility — of protecting the lives of the governor and the first family. For 22 years, Captain…SCHP’s Debbie Gillis says goodbye after 15 years as Colonel’s right-hand woman
Fri, 01/10/2025
When Debbie Gillis first applied for a position at the SC Highway Patrol in 2009, she already had four decades of work experience under her belt and…‘I’m blessed’: Beloved SCDPS storeowner lost his vision at age 47 — but found much more in the years since
Fri, 12/20/2024
After losing his vision in 2018 at the age of 47, Willie Patrick could have wallowed in self-pity and waited for someone to come along and help him.…Retiring SCHP sergeant reflects on 25 years of service, school buses, and advocacy
Fri, 12/13/2024
Ever since he was a little boy, Sergeant Matt Southern wanted to be a police officer. Whether dressing up as a cop for Halloween year after year,…Dispatcher-turned-IT manager Justin Dyson reflects on 26 years at DPS, looks forward to what retirement holds
Thu, 12/12/2024
Before Justin Dyson came to the Department of Public Safety and began a 26-year career in telecommunications and IT, he was young, broke, and working…A temporary position turned into a 35-year career for SCHP’s Sherrie Gasque
Thu, 12/05/2024
When Sherrie Gasque landed a temporary job at the SC Highway Patrol District 5 headquarters, she was hoping to put in 28 years — maybe 30. But this…