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A disgraced South Carolina police chief — known infamously as “Pervert on Patrol” — has been suspended from law enforcement after fumbling yet another government-appointed position in the Lowcountry region of the Palmetto State.
While details surrounding his latest separation remain unclear, warnings from myriad females who previously accused Christoper “Chris” Griffin of sexual harassment, predatory stalking and inexorable depravities during his prolonged career appear to finally have been heeded.
As previously reported in our “Badge Gone Bad” series, Griffin resigned from the Sullivan’s Island Police Department (SIPD) after being placed on administrative leave for exhibiting retaliatory behavior amid an internal affairs (IA) investigation launched in December 2023.
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RELATED | PERVERT ON PATROL
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“The town attempted to leave Griffin on duty,” Sullivans Island’s human resource (HR) manager wrote while investigating the aforementioned allegations. “Out of concern that Griffin’s behavior might escalate… the town placed Griffin on administrative leave effective January 1, 2024.”
According to the report, multiple witnesses attested to Griffin’s infatuation with a female subordinate hired to the department in August 2023. His officers furthermore confirmed the existence of town policy violations caused by his flagrant abuse of taxpayer-funded resources.
“His general response was that everyone was lying,” deduced the HR manager after interviewing Griffin on February 1, 2024. “The comments [he] is alleged to have made… are reminiscent of the messages he admitted to having sent to the plaintiffs of a recent lawsuit (sic).”
Of interest? Both Griffin and his township contributed to a monetary settlement in 2019 — when the police chief was sued for sending 21 sexually explicit text messages to multiple women during a leadership conference hosted by the S.C. Police Chiefs Association (SCPCA).
While Griffin was permanently banned from SCPCA, his lawsuit alleged that former Sullivans Island town administrator Andy Benke failed to investigate the matter until formal complaints were filed. His belated inquiry was said to have resulted in no disciplinary action whatsoever.
“The reports of sexual harassment and creating an inappropriate workplace environment in violation of town policy are sustained,” concluded the HR manager on February 7, 2024. “Griffin resigned… prior to the town council meeting at which the above investigation was to be presented.”
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RELATED | PERVERT ON PATROL PART II
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In the immediate aftermath of Griffin’s resignation on February 20, 2024, the township approved a $10,000 payout to the scandal-scarred officer in the hopes of avoiding “the incursion of unnecessary cost and expenses,” according to mayor pro tempore Justin Novak.
After publicizing Griffin’s departure in our second installment of Pervert on Patrol, Benke, too, resigned from the town’s administration after 20 years of service.
As for Griffin? He was inexplicably allowed to return to law enforcement as his separation from SIPD did not involve misconduct… at that time. Three months later, he was hired as a Jamestown Police Department (JPD) officer by mayor Roy P. Pipkin.
Within weeks of his appointment, JPD chief April Zakis resigned from her position — leaving Griffin as the sole officer of a speed-trap town overseeing 68 constituents scattered across the intersection of S.C. Highway 41 and U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Berkeley County, S.C.
“He openly talk[ed] about his accusers,” Zakis said during an executive interview earlier this year. “When he first came to the office for his interview, he started showing me pictures of a victim… he’s a backstabber, and he’ll do whatever it takes to wear that badge that says chief.”
As the sole officer of Jamestown, Griffin held unregulated access to the department’s arsenal of three semi-automatic Glock 23 handguns, two fully automatic M4A1 rifles (provided by the government’s 1033 Program) and one semi-automatic SKS rifle.
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RELATED | PERVERT ON PATROL PART III
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“[I’m] done with watching law enforcement turn a blind eye to corrupt cops,” Zakis said earlier this year. “I didn’t want to leave Jamestown high and dry, but when mayor [Roy] Pipkin started treating Chris like God, I was like, ‘Alright then. Y’all can have yall’s God. I’m out.’”
Unfortunately for Jamestown, S.C., their proverbial “God” lasted a mere six months — as paperwork provided by the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA) indicated SIPD proposed an amendment to Griffin’s separation seven months after his resignation.
After submitting that Griffin’s resignation did involve misconduct on September 16, 2024, SIPD’s motion was brought before the S.C. Law Enforcement Training Council (SCLETC) on October 23, 2024. To no one’s surprise, Griffin was not present to plead his innocence.
“[His] separation was initially reported on the ‘routine’ forum as opposed to the ‘misconduct forum,’” submitted LETC into meeting minutes provided to FITSNews. “Council voted unanimously to accept the late amended PSC for misconduct from [SIPD].”
Two weeks after LETC’s ruling, Jamestown administrator Chris Pipkin (Roy’s wife), terminated Griffin for “misconduct allegations,” according to a new round of separation paperwork provided by the SCCJA.
As of this publication, Griffin’s law enforcement certification remains in suspension — meaning the “pervert on patrol” cannot be employed by a law enforcement agency or perform any duties of a law enforcement officer amid pending misconduct allegations.
Fear not, though, as Griffin has three years to request a contested case hearing.
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GRIFFIN’S LATEST SEPARATION …
(SCCJA)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
(Dynal Nolan/FITSNews)
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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