COLUMBIA, S.C. - The number of valid complaints lodged against the South Carolina Highway Patrol doubled from 2005 to 2006, even though the number of troopers on the state’s roads grew by less than 100 during that span, records obtained by The Associated Press show.
In 2006, there were 35 complaints against troopers that were found to have merit, compared with just 17 the previous year, according to records obtained using the state’s Freedom of Information Act. And, there are still more accusations in 2006 that are being investigated.
Misconduct complaints, a “catch all” category, can range from a trooper failing to turn in tickets in a timely manner to more egregious actions, agency spokesman Sid Gaulden said Wednesday.
That would include run-ins that have been featured in recently released videos showing officers abusing their power.
Other complaints include evidence-handling issues, misuse of state equipment and using the position for personal gain.
Gaulden said the numbers fluctuate from year to year and the number of complaints pales in comparison to the amount of contacts officers have with the public.
From 2005 to 2007, nearly 300 complaints were lodged against the patrol. About 50 have been found to have merit; more than 100 are still being investigated.
“I don’t think that truthfully portrays a pattern of systemic misconduct,” Gaulden said.
The Highway Patrol has been under intense scrutiny after dashboard-camera videos surfaced in recent weeks.
In one tape released last month, a white trooper is heard using a racial epithet while chasing a black suspect in 2004. In the wake of that video’s release, Highway Patrol Col. Russell Roark and his boss, Public Safety Director James Schweitzer, resigned.
Since then, two other videos surfaced showing troopers using their cars to ram fleeing suspects. None of those troopers were fired, and federal and state authorities are now investigating the Highway Patrol.
The figures reviewed by AP show a dramatic increase in the number of complaints from 2005 to 2006, but not a significant increase in the number of troopers on the state’s roads. State budget cuts reduced the force in 2005 to 785 and about 100 officers were added a year later. The force currently has about 950 officers.
The overall increase in validated complaints corresponds with an increase in misconduct complaints that had merit.
“It seems to fluctuate,” Gaulden said of the number of complaints. “Why, I don’t know.”
Complaints come from internal reviews of videotapes and calls to the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which investigates the allegations.
At least one trooper was fired over a complaint that he pocketed money collected from traffic tickets, but Gaulden did not immediately know how many other troopers had lost their jobs since 2005.
Meanwhile, a Charleston newspaper reported Wednesday that South Carolina troopers spend less time training than officers in neighboring states.
A South Carolina trooper spends more than four months in basic training followed by at least a month of on-the-job supervised training, The (Charleston) Post and Courier reported. Georgia troopers are trained for more than eight months while Florida trains for 10 months and North Carolina troopers spend about one year learning the job.
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Associated Press Writer Seanna Adcox contributed to this report.