We will perform our duties with respect and compassion for the citizens while instilling the public's trust. We want to reach out and strengthen those ties. And then there was the day a bear decided to take a stroll downtown. PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) - An Upstate police chief has resigned amid an investigation into his conduct by the Pickens County Sheriff's Office. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play. Easley Police Department - City of Easley "She told dispatchers that nobody could get out of the park because of the fighting. EASLEY, S.C. Over the course of a 35-year career in law enforcement, Easley Police Chief Danny Traber has chased bank robbers, investigated murders, and shot and killed a suspect. He had nothing but praise for Traber, who worked his way up from a patrol officer in 1979 to the chief position 15 years ago. 615 talking about this. Read moreGreenville Housing Authority CEO accused of theft, conspiracy in past role in Georgia, The South Carolina Public Interest Foundationhas a pending lawsuitagainst the State Law Enforcement Division and its chief, Mark Keel, for recording and storing millions of license plate reads from across the state. The city is narrowing down its search for a new city administrator after the departure last month of Fox Simons and hopes to make a hire within the next few weeks, Bagwell said. HEY, I NEED TO GET SOMEBODY AT LAKE KIWI. The episode haunted him for some time afterward. 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He has certainly lived up to the motto Protect and Serve. We wish him the best in his retirement and look forward to continuing our long friendship, the mayor said. The incident comes just over two years after Whitten was formally sworn in as Easleys chief on April 12, 2021. And then I asked him why he was at the bank, and he said he was getting a cash advance on his VISA. South Carolina's Judicial Department Website; Suspected Abuse; Traffic Court-Method of Payments; Non-Emergency Contact. According to an incident report, the chief of police, who was off-duty at the time, confessed to consuming alcohol prior to the argument. Greenville, SC 29601, News tips/online questions: greenville@postandcourier.com, Subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com. After a routine investigation into the incident, a grand jury determined that Traber was justified in the shooting. Easley Police Department - Facebook Uniform Patrol - City of Easley We had a lot of very good people apply for this position and when we used the rating system on the candidates, he (Tollison) rose to the top.. EASLEY The City of Easley announced Stan Whitten has been selected to lead the Easley Police Department, replacing Interim Chief Lane Byers who has been head of the department since the sudden retirement of Tim Tollison last July. Though I know I walk into my own death, still it is better.". Traber, 58, said hes looking forward to spending more time with his family, especially his two grandchildren, ages 4 and 7. Whitten claimed the man hit him in the face, knocking him down, but the man said he never hit Whitten and that he fell because he was drunk. The announcement was made by Salisbury City Manager Jim Greene on Thursday morning at city hall. 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The only other time he fired his service weapon was when he and another officer were chasing a bank robber who had fled toward Easley after robbing a bank in Pickens. Whitten is also described in the reports as waving his badge around and continuing to yell racial slurs at the man, his wife and children. One of the deputies told Whitten it was likely he would be charged with disorderly conduct, but he wasn't. Easley police chief speaks out after harsh criticism of the force Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: var html = new Date().getFullYear(); Traber missed the action in Easley's most notorious crime of recent decades the fatal shooting of two teenage girls in the Walmart parking lot in July 1991 but he wasn't untouched by the incident. Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. WYFF News 4 filed a Freedom Of Information Act request to get the heavily redacted documents and recordings from the Pickens County Sheriff's Office. (Patrick) Smith is Salisburys new police chief. Upstate SC police chief resigns after yelling racist slurs at family at Hes parked down here. Before joining the Salisbury Police Department, Smith worked at Salisburys Food Lion corporate office from 1990 until 2004. He also managed crime analytics and records division staff. "His demeanor throughout the investigation suggested he had a considerable amount of alcohol," one deputy said, also saying he did "notice a strong smell of alcohol" coming from Whitten. (Additional coverage from 6 p.m. show below). According to incident reports from several officers, they were called to a "fight in progress" just after 5 p.m. on Saturday at the county park on Keowee Baptist Church Road at Lake Keowee. He began pushing Whitten away with his stomach with help from another person in the group. , Post and Courier, an Evening Post Publishing Newspaper Group. You have permission to edit this article. The police chief wasn't charged by deputies, but the State Law Enforcement Division is still investigating the incident, SLED spokesperson Rene Wunderlich said June 16. 20 Augusta St. Non-Emergency Numbers. He became a firefighter with the Easley Fire Department and then served as a Greenville County deputy until 2021. LIVE AT LAKE KIWI ON PEYTON. These are some of the best PS5 games for teens you can find on Amazon right now. Welcome to Easley, SC There, Smith supervised the services bureau comprised of seven units: general investigations, violent crimes investigations, vice/narcotics, neighborhood crime abatement team, the crime lab, organizational development, and hiring. Feed Notes. NEWS FOURS PEYTON FURTADO HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS STORY ALL DAY. Officials. Easley Police Department 220 N West Main Street Easley, SC 29640 Office: (864) 859-4025 Email: JJONES@EASLEYPD.ORG Facebook Page Instagram Page Twitter Feed YouTube Page. Five years later, he was elevated to patrol sergeant and then was promoted to lieutenant over the special investigations division in 2018. Instead, much like in the case of Tollisons retirement, the city opted to to make a Facebook post. "You reflect back on stuff like that. Easley Police Chief Stan Whitten was placed on paid administrative leave due to "a personal. Easley Police The bank hadnt opened for the day yet, and the man was going from one door to another trying to get in. "They're physical, they're throwing hands. THATS WHEN WHITTEN SAID A MAN HIT HIM. Deputies on Wednesday released police reports and 911 calls of an incident involving the now-suspended Easley police chief. "We ran him up Cedar Rock Road and he spun out in a yard," Traber recalled. Easley City Councilman Kent Dykes said this was a great appointment for the residents of Easley. It just didnt match up. Share this page on your favorite Social network. Easley is a town of 21,000 located in southeastern Pickens county approximately twelve miles west of Greenville, S.C. 4.33 2019 5.00 2023 Explore reviews by category 3.4 Work & Life Balance 4.2 Compensation & Benefits 4.2 Job Security & Advancement 4.6 Management 3.2 Culture Easley Police Department locations 4.6 Easley, SC Show all locations South Carolina police chief placed on administrative leave during They were only told about it. "They're physical, they're throwing hands. Low 71F. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Credit: Images_By_Kenny/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images. But as he prepares to retire next month, its the one unsolved homicide that still sticks in his craw. Easley Police Department is located at 220 Nw Main St in Easley, South Carolina 29640. And he tries to start backing up, and we try to shoot the tires out. Easley Police Department Careers and Employment | Indeed.com We met and interviewed many strong candidates with various backgrounds but ultimately, Captain Smith stood out above the rest. Easley police chief looks back on 35-year career. Knowing that you took someones life is bad enough, but the thing that scared me most about it is how close I came to losing my life, Traber said. Stay tuned we expect to have additional information on both of these abrupt departures in the weeks to come. http://easleypd.org Abrupt Departures Of Two Upstate Police Chiefs Raise Questions, mandatory minimums for misbehaving leaders, Boeing Running Out Of Room For Undelivered Dreamliners, Walmart Locating New Distribution Center In South Carolina Lowcountry, South Carolina Family Seeks Answers After Roadway Attack, Another Fatal Alligator Attack In South Carolina, Cheer Incorporated Scandal: Expanding On Multiple Fronts. The former police chief of Easley, South Carolina is out of a job after witnesses say he hurled racial slurs at a local family.Local news station Fox Carolina reports that Easley Police Chief Stan . Shannon Jones was hit in the head with a blunt object as she walked to her car on Main Street to go to work before sunrise one Sunday morning in 1993. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Easley's Assistant City Manager Tommy Holcombe confirmed that Police Chief Stan Whitten has been placed on paid leave during an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Pickens County. Given that it involved a police chief of an agency within Pickens County, an entity that naturally we work with on a daily basis, we thought it was better for an independent third party to review the facts to ensure that everybody was as objective as humanly possible, he said. The man also had a fully loaded AK-47 assault rifle in his car. As of this writing, it does not appear as though any investigatory referrals have been made to the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) although we will be following up with the agency over the next few weeks to see if anything is submitted. Deputies spoke with bystanders who witnessed Whitten screaming at the people and apparently drunk, but they did not see him being assaulted. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The only other time he fired his service weapon was when he and another officer were chasing a bank robber who had fled toward Easley after robbing a bank in Pickens. Follow Spencer Donovan on Twitter @sdonovan5. (Additional coverage from 5 p.m. show below)The information released describes an incident involving Whitten reported at Mile Creek Park, in Six Mile, over the weekend, officials said.WARNING: The reports and recordings contain profanities and racial slurs.Read the reports here.According to incident reports from several officers, they were called to a "fight in progress" just after 5 p.m. on Saturday at the county park on Keowee Baptist Church Road at Lake Keowee.When officers arrived, they found Whitten, who officials said was off-duty, with a woman identified in the report as his daughter and her boyfriend outside a black truck pulling a boat. I was fortunate that day through all the training we go through. Authorities believe Traber prevented a bank robbery and possibly loss of innocent lives. In 2009, he was promoted to criminal investigation detective. 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For over 18 years, he has shown his dedication and commitment to Salisbury and our police department. Join us with welcoming two new - Easley Police Department - Facebook Records from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy showed Whitten worked at the Greenville County Sheriff's Office from 2007 to 2021, when he resigned to become Easley chief of police. Alleged Racial Slur At Heart Of South Carolina Police - FITSNews UPDATE: The attorney representing the family involved in a fight with Easley Police Chief Stan Whitten spoke exclusively to WYFF News 4 Wednesday night. While the day was about the new leadership and future of EPD, there was an emotional moment as well, with Judy Tollison pinning the new badge on her son to complete the ceremony. I started in January of 1993 with Easley and it only took me a few months to find out this is the place I wanted to be and that someday I would like to be chief of police, Tollison said following his appointment. He had been a police officer and meant a lot to her, so I think this meant a lot for her today., Address: EASLEY, S.C. (WSPA) The City of Easley and the Easley Police Department announced on Thursday that Stan Whitten has been selected as the new Police Chief. Police misconduct should not be tolerated under any circumstances, but it is beyond inexcusable in the current climate and the recent rash of bad behavior by certain boys (and girls) in blue must be addressed as part of an ongoing effort to reform law enforcement practices in the Palmetto State. SIDNEY, WE JUST GOT THIS INCIDENT REPORT ABOUT AN HOUR AGO, AND ACCORDING TO THE PICKENS COUNTY DEPUTIES WHO RESPONDED TO THIS INCIDENT, THEY WERE CALLED A LITTLE ABOUT AROUND 5:00 ON SATURDAY TO A FIGHT THAT WAS BLOCKING TRAFFIC RIGHT HERE AT THIS INTERSECTION AT LAKE KEOWEE KEY, THE REPORT WITNESSES AND THOSE INVOLVED SAID STAN WITTEN, THE OFF DUTY POLICE CHIEF, WAS BLOCKING THE ROAD AND A TRUCK WITH A TRAILER AND BOAT CAME UP BEHIND HIM AND TOLD HIM TO MOVE A MAN INVOLVED IN THE FIGHT THEN SAID WITTEN GOT OUT OF HIS CAR, YELLED AT HIM. In addition to hiring, organizational development is responsible for leading the departments internal practices and employee career enhancements. Easley Police Department can be contacted via phone at for pricing, hours and directions. according to his training history report released by officials. One woman was scratched, the report said. He doesnt have his ID. Tollison's mother, Judy Tollison. But that case stands out as being a major unsolved case.". Easley Police Department in Easley, SC 29640 - Chamber of Commerce Deputies on Wednesday released police reports and 911 calls of an incident involving the now-suspended Easley police chief. We have some people on the staff who I feel are qualified, but I think it would behoove us to open it up and get some applications and do basically the same as we did with the administrator, he said. I know Captain Smith will make an excellent chief for our city., I welcome my new role as the new Chief of the Salisbury Police Department, said Smith. Over the years Ive seen a lot of people come and go, they tried working with other agencies and they come back to Easley to stay. Easley names new Chief of Police | Sentinel Progress In one of the calls, a man who identified himself as a park ranger told dispatchers he had just gotten off work and out of the shower when he "heard people screaming left and right," so he drove to the parking lot to see what the commotion was. | Privacy Policy. South Carolina police chief accosted family while 'calling them a But that case stands out as being a major unsolved case.. Multiple law enforcement and prosecutorial sources in the area have reached out to this news outlet with some concerning reports related to each of these officers although it remains to be seen if these reports had anything to do with last weeks unexpected announcements. Drop the bag!'. Prior to becoming chief, the department said Whitten served as a military police officer and investigator with the U.S. Army. Applications were opened on April 5 and closed on May 10. Larry Eugene Hall was convicted of sexually assaulting one woman at gunpoint, then shooting two sisters in front of numerous witnesses. Deputies said Whitten was involved in a heated argument and altercation over the weekend near a boat ramp at Lake Keowee. We wish him the best in his retirement and look forward to continuing our long friendship," the mayor said. Easley Citizen | Easley SC News Source 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Voices of men shouting can be heard in the background during his call. @ Easley, South Carolina in Easley, SC, United States https: . The mean medium in the U.S. encompassing each and every age is close to $49,000. Updated: Dec 8, 2021 / 12:54 PM EST. ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. EASLEY The City of Easley announced Stan Whitten has been selected to lead the Easley Police Department, replacing Interim Chief Lane Byers who has been head of the department since the sudden retirement of Tim Tollison last July. "His demeanor throughout the investigation suggested he had a considerable amount of alcohol," one deputy said, also saying he did "notice a strong smell of alcohol" coming from Whitten.The reports detail a he-said-he-said-she-said between the parties that began when the driver of the Jeep asked Whitten to move his vehicle so they could get out of the park.An argument escalated into yelling that led to Whitten ending up on the ground and injuring his forehead and nose.Whether Whitten was pushed, hit or fell to the ground is unclear based on what deputies were being told by the individuals being interviewed.All deputies reported they were told Whitten used racial slurs and profane language while yelling at the driver of the Jeep and his wife and children.Whitten's daughter, as identified by deputies in the reports, got out of Whitten's car and also began to yell profanities at people.One woman was scratched, the report said.Whitten is also described in the reports as waving his badge around and continuing to yell racial slurs at the man, his wife and children.When one deputy asked Whitten why he used the racial slurs, Whitten told the deputy, "Because I can," the report said.Two 911 calls were also released.In one of the calls, a man who identified himself as a park ranger told dispatchers he had just gotten off work and out of the shower when he "heard people screaming left and right," so he drove to the parking lot to see what the commotion was.Voices of men shouting can be heard in the background during his call.In the other 911 call, a woman told dispatchers she was with her husband and child, "who was absolutely hysterical," trying to get out of the park while a number of men were out of their vehicles and fighting.
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new easley sc police chief