By Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s top law enforcement officer has committed to another six-year term, the governor’s office announced Thursday Dec. 7.
Mark Keel, the 66-year-old chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), will first retire for 30 days, allowing him to collect his retirement benefits. Assistant SLED Chief Richard Gregory will lead the agency for that time, which started Wednesday.
A month-long break is required by law for Keel to receive his pension benefits and be technically rehired as a return-to-work retiree.
When Keel returns, his annual salary will be $267,036, a significant increase from his previous $195,700. Legislators approved the pay raise in October.
“Retaining Chief Keel’s leadership and law enforcement expertise is a victory for our entire state,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement. “He is a true public servant, and I thank him for his willingness to continue serving the people of South Carolina.”
Keel, a Barnwell native, started working at SLED more than four decades ago, in 1979, after graduating from Georgia Southern University. Over the years, he worked his way through the ranks, taking on a variety of positions, including as a helicopter pilot and hostage negotiator.
Keel left the law enforcement division in 2008 to head up the Department of Public Safety and its divisions, which include the Highway Patrol, at the request of then-Gov. Mark Sanford. After three years in that position, then-Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Keel chief of SLED in 2011. McMaster re-appointed him in 2018.
With 12 years overseeing the state agency under his belt, Keel is the seventh person to lead SLED since it was established in 1947.
“Serving as the Chief of SLED has been the honor of my career,” Keel wrote in a letter to the governor informing him of his intention to resign. “Being the Chief of SLED is an incredibly humbling experience. I have been blessed to be surrounded by dedicated public servants who every day strive to make South Carolina a safer place to live, work and raise a family.”
Keel’s current six-year term officially expires in January. The Senate must confirm Keel’s reappointment for his next six-year term to start.
Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal justice issues. Originally from Missouri, she previously worked for The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau.
