S.C. Public Safety Chief, Top State Trooper Step Down

By Mincing Words on February 29th, 2008 at 9:51 pm

no commentary, FITS? no opinion, no thrashing of Sanford for kow-towing to the Black Caucus?

By What happened to the guy that was eluding the cops? on February 29th, 2008 at 11:29 pm

The trooper should have never used such foul, hateful language, but it is easy to second guess what a law enforcement officer that is faced with taking in an armed suspect that is fleeing from the scene might say during the spur of the moment. The bottom line is that if the armed suspect had submitted to the police commands and obeyed the law, the trooper would have never been in a position to make regrettable off the cuff remarks in the heat of the moment. What he said is highly inappropriate, but what the criminal was doing was illegal and put his life and the officers life at risk. I’ll take a poor choice of words over criminal activity every day of the week and twice on Sundays. The suspect is fortunate that he is alive to twist the tale from him being an armed and dangerous criminal to the victim of “hate” speech.

By anonymous on March 1st, 2008 at 9:15 am

GOVDEVELOPNER SANFRAUD ABUSES HIS POWER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

By Mincing Words on March 1st, 2008 at 3:46 pm

Question: What offense(s) described below merits termination from state employment?

1. an agency head using federal grant funds for a purpose other than that of the grant
2. a supervisor permitting one of his employees to access and commandeer agency email system to cyberstalk another employee
3. a supervisor spanking one of his employees (and member of the opposite sex) because she was “acting like a child”
4. using a racial epithet after a heated and dangerous vehicle chase

In South Carolina, you can apparently commit any one of offenses 1-3 any time you want and avoid termination so long as you don’t use the N-word.

By Clarence on March 1st, 2008 at 9:25 pm

Does anyone believe Mark Sanford “just” watched the video on Thursday night? It has been around for 3 years!

This is political theater designed to make Snaford look enlightened…

He is a fraud.

By curious on March 4th, 2008 at 8:52 am

It is stated that…

Department of Public Safety Director James Schweitzer and Highway Patrol Colonel Russell Roark submitted their resignations to the Governor’s Office today after they were criticized for not adequately disciplining an officer who used a racial epithet during a traffic stop four years ago.

Question:

Why was the officer in question not named ?

By anonymous on March 4th, 2008 at 9:43 pm

WARNING: Bill H.4736 Would Replace SCDNR Board with Cabinet Position

Please be aware that a bill is currently moving through the House Judiciary Ad Hoc Committee on Restructuring that would remove the DNR board and replace it with a Cabinet position. This would further politicize the group responsible for managing SCDNR South Carolina’s natural resources as well as remove any oversight from its constituents.

Please read the email below from Cary Chamblee about this as well as the response from the South Carolina Wildlife Federation:

From Cary Chamblee: A bill, H. 4736, by Representative Jim Harrison was introduced last week that will remove the DNR Board and replace it with a Secretary appointed by the Governor. This gives SCWF great concern because it would remove access to DNR from hunters, fishermen and sportsmen. Important decisions about our beloved sports and our out of doors would be made by one person, a political appointee. The SC Wildlife Federation made comments at the first hearing last week and these comments are summarized below.

Please help save our DNR Board and our outdoor heritage by contacting your friends in the legislature and calling, emailing the committee and coming to Columbia on Wednesday to speak up for our voice at DNR. You may also wish to inform the members of your organization of this proposal. This may be the last opportunity for public input in the House. Click on H.4736 above for a copy of the bill.
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The Committee will meet Wednesday March 4, 2008 one hour after adjournment of the House of Representatives in Room 516 of the Blatt Building. ( Approximately 1:30 PM) Below is the planned agenda for this meeting.

Comments on H.4736 Restructuring DNR — House Judiciary Ad Hoc Committee on Restructuring

We are very concerned about this bill and oppose putting the DNR in the Cabinet, and swapping the Board for a single politically appointed Secretary.

DNR was restructured in 1994 under a restructuring law that took months to craft, with the input from user groups and stakeholders from many backgrounds and diverse interests. The current system, providing for a Board appointed by the Governor, and an Executive Director chosen from among conservation professionals is working quite well and should be retained. This system already has great influence by the Governor, but retains a link to constituents and user groups.

Hunting, fishing and boating is a $1.8 Billion industry in SC. These sports are enjoyed by well over one million outdoor enthusiasts. This is big business which is important to the economy and to the lives, jobs and well being of a large portion of our population.

DNR is a highly complex agency requiring expertise in many fields and disciplines. It is responsible for the management and protection of thousands of species of animals and plants, hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat and outdoor recreation areas, boating access and safety, law enforcement, fishery management, wildlife management, marine science,water management, conservation best management practices, and much more. Each of these areas come with their own constituencies, histories, traditions, problems, funding sources and complexities. It takes a lifetime of work in these fields to become proficient and even highly educated and seasoned professionals learn constantly. This is no place for a political appointee.

One way that DNR maintains contact with its varied constituencies is through advisory boards, each of which is chaired by a DNR Board member. This provides for an excellent conduit for information to travel from the outdoors enthusiast to the Board and to the legislature.

We are also concerned about politicizing DNR’s Law Enforcement Division. Their officers are in place to enforce game and environmental laws and must be free to do so without fear of undue influence and reprisal.

Removing the DNR Board would diminish its stature in government. It should be a high profile, somewhat independent agency.

One criticism of the current structure that we would offer is that DNR Board Members can be removed from the Board without cause. We recommend that the law be amended to allow removal of Board members only for cause. They should be free to make decisions of policy without fear of removal.

Changing direction every four years with the change of governors would cause inconsistency in direction and inefficiency. We are also concerned that an appointee without an appropriate background or experience could foul-up great programs and progress that took years to attain.

In summary, the risks of change far outweigh any perceived benefits. We hope that you will carry this bill over and allow for further study and greater input from DNR’s constituents.

http://lowcountryhunting.com/2008/03/03/warning-bill-h4736-would-replace-scdnr-board-with-cabinet-position/

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A BILL…..H. 4736

TO AMEND SECTION 1-30-75, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AS AN EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF STATE GOVERNMENT, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE HEADED AND GOVERNED BY A DIRECTOR APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR UPON THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE IN THE MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE BOARD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ON THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE ABOVE PROVISION SHALL BECOME AN ADVISORY BODY; TO AMEND SECTIONS…. ALL RELATING IN PART TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, SO AS TO CONFORM THESE PROVISIONS TO THE ABOVE PROVISIONS PROVIDING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES MUST BE HEADED AND GOVERNED BY A DIRECTOR APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR UPON THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE.

http://scstatehouse.net/cgi-bin/query.exe?first=DOC&querytext=Environmental&category=Legislation&session=117&conid=2940225&result_pos=260&keyval=1174736