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Tag: Ridgeway Police Chief

  • Documents detail complaints vs RW chief

    RIDGEWAY—Police Chief Christopher Culp has been the subject of at least 15 formal complaints from Ridgeway residents and businesses in the past 12 months, according to documents obtained by The Voice.

    Dating back to July 2017, the complaints that nearly cost Culp his job provide a more detailed look into what drove Ridgeway Town Council to consider terminating him.

    A motion to immediately terminate Culp failed at the June 14 council meeting when a motion to fire him never received a second.

    Instead, the council opted to work with Culp in addressing the complaints following a 90-minute discussion about them in executive session June 14.

    “We do have some underlying issues with the police department, and we’re going to correct those issues,” Ridgeway Mayor Heath Cookendorfer said following the vote.

    Obtained through the S.C. Freedom of Information Act, the documents paint a picture of absenteeism, indifference and other breaches of protocol by the chief.

    Documents dispute SRO claim

    At a packed council meeting June 14, some residents claimed council members targeted the chief because they thought he spent too much time at Geiger Elementary School, which doesn’t have a school resource officer.

    Council documents included with the June 14 meeting agenda stated that during the month of May, Culp performed 22 security checks at Geiger Elementary, or about once every 1.4 days.

    Culp’s supporters said they didn’t mind the chief doubling as a de facto SRO, even though he’s not technically certified to act as one, according to the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.

    “You’ve done everything except for what you are elected to do,” said Tiffany Allison, chairwoman of the Geiger Elementary School Improvement Council, to Council. “You have put children in danger because of your actions. You should restore the trust that has been broken.”

    Betty Branham, however, told The Voice that Culp spends too much time at the school.

    “If he wants to help school children, he needs to get busy on Coleman St. A child is going to get hurt the way the traffic races up and down this road. I live on the corner of Coleman and Third, and it’s amazing what’s being ignored out here. I only see the police car parked down at the station down from the school. Mr. Culp is never in it. Where does he go all day long, do tell?”

    Complaints obtained by The Voice, however, list a litany of other complaints unrelated to the SRO issue.

    One complaint filed Jan. 8 said a traffic ticket was unlawfully issued long after the offense occurred.

    “Culp came to residence, honking horn, to issue ticket of parking wrong side,” the document states.

    A similar report stated that Culp showed up in an unmarked car in an attempt to issue a parking ticket.

    “He came to my house to issue a ticket and beat excessively on the door to the extent of scaring my mother in law,” the report said.

    Another complaint filed Jan. 11 asked why a theft that occurred Nov. 27, 2017 hadn’t been investigated. The complaint noted that security cameras in the area no longer showed the date of the incident.

    An undated complaint included in town documents said Culp never issued any tickets when a resident reported dogs running loose in the street.

    “He asked if I was afraid of the dog at town hall? Then I shouldn’t worry about my neighbor,” the form states. “I tried to explain that the dog at town hall was well behaved and behind a locked door and my neighbors [sic] dogs were running loose.”

    Suspicious person overlooked

    “I find his attitude lackadaisical, unprofessional, and not very caring about protecting the town,” one complaint stated.

    Those remarks appeared in a July 2017 letter signed by Carol Allen, owner of Laura’s Tea Room.

    In her complaint, Allen said Culp failed to investigate a suspicious person who “camped out” in front of her business, using an electrical outlet to charge his cellphone.

    According to the complaint, Culp stated he was too busy to investigate the man.

    Allen eventually asked the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office about the suspicious person. Deputies were familiar with the man and when they tried to speak with him, he took off running, the complaint stated.

    Deputies caught the man and took him into custody. He had multiple outstanding warrants for breaking and entering, and also had several pill bottles in other people’s names on his person, according to the complaint.

    “I feel we pay Officer Culp to serve and protect, and I understand he is just one officer, but I really feel he did not handle this correctly,” Allen stated in the complaint.

    Hard to find

    A complaint filed May 1 stated Fairfield County investigators were unable to contact Culp to review tapes at the police department.

    One week later, a complaint was filed that said Culp canceled a Feb. 7 meeting due to a family emergency, and couldn’t reschedule for two days later. Culp, however, clocked in from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 8-10, the complaint states.

    “Tried numerous times and when did reach Culp [he] said he didn’t have time and would call when convenient for him,” the complaint said. “It’s been 3 months and monitoring visit must be done.”

    Other complaints the town received were critical of Culp’s apparent lack of responsiveness.

    A complaint filed Jan. 28 states a person ticketed for an unknown violation appeared for court on Oct. 2, 2017, but Culp was absent. The document states Culp didn’t turn in the ticket until Oct. 11.

    According to the complaint, the person stopped by court on Nov. 29, 2017 so Culp could rewrite the ticket, but the chief wasn’t working. The person also tried unsuccessfully to call Culp on Jan. 28, 2018, the document stated.

    “[Three] visits no results,” the form said. “Requested jury trial.”

    The court complaint is in addition to one that Municipal Judge Adrian Wilkes filed June 14, the day before Ridgeway Town Council considered a motion to fire the chief.

    Wilkes stated in his complaint that Culp frequently and openly questions the judge in open court.

    “Chief Culp has shown a lack of manners, professionalism, and respect for the Court,” Wilkes wrote. “He has consistently attempted to speak over and interrupt myself and others within the court room.”

    Culp also called in sick for court with only 10 minutes of notice, resulting in a slew of not guilty pleas, the complaint stated.

    Related:  Judge, others issue complaints against chief,  Chief survives move to fire him

  • Judge, others issue complaints against chief

    RIDGEWAY – Ridgeway Police Chief Christopher Culp has repeatedly shown “a lack of manners, professionalism, and respect” for the town’s traffic court and Municipal Judge Adrian Wilkes, according to public records obtained by The Voice through a Freedom of Information request.

    Wilkes recently penned a scathing letter directed at the chief, who according to Wilkes, at one point made a veiled threat against him and disputed the judge’s sentencing.

    “He openly attempted to tell me how I should sentence individuals and insinuated that previous judges had been relieved of their duties for not issuing sentences the way he thought they ought to be issued,” the letter states.

    Culp couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

    Mayor Heath Cookendorfer said the letter was one of a number of complaints the Town Council addressed in executive session Thursday.

    “It didn’t paint a good picture of our police chief,” Cookendorfer said on Tuesday. “All in all I’m not happy with any of it.”

    A motion to immediately terminate Culp failed due to a lack of a second. Instead, Cookendorfer said after Thursday’s meeting that the town plans to address performance issues with Culp.

    “We do have some underlying issues with the police department, some complaints, and we’re going to correct those issues,” the mayor said. “Addressed to Cookendorfer, Wilkes’ letter was dated June 13, the day before Ridgeway Town Council considered firing Culp.

    Wilkes’ letter says the chief consistently speaks over the judge and others in the courtroom.

    Culp also “repeatedly continues to argue” after rulings, questions court rulings and decisions, and challenges courtroom procedures, the letter continues.

    Of direct impact to town operations, Culp called in sick 10 minutes before a June court session was supposed to begin, the letter continued.

    “I told him that would cause a major problem and asked him for a doctor’s excuse,” the judge wrote. “He got very defensive and rude with me. He told me he would not be going to the doctor or providing any type of paperwork to explain his absence.”

    As a result of the chief missing court, everyone on the docket that day received “not guilty” verdicts, the letter states.

    “It is my belief that if a person is sick enough to miss court, he is sick enough to go to the doctor,” Wilkes wrote.

    Wilkes added that Culp told him that he informed his “supervisor” of his plans to call in sick, according to the letter.

    When Wilkes asked to whom Culp was referring, the chief replied that it was Ridgeway Councilman Donald Prioleau.

    Prioleau and Cookendorfer confirmed that Prioleau is considered Culp’s supervisor. They said a hierarchy was established in recent weeks to increase communication and to keep closer tabs on Culp’s whereabouts.

    Prioleau said the procedure calls for the chief to notify Prioleau if he expects to miss court, and for Prioleau to relay the message to the clerk of court.

    “That’s the instructions from the mayor,” the councilman said.

    Prioleau contends that personality conflicts are to blame for issues between Wilkes and Culp. Prioleau said he hoped to address them in a meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday with the Fairfield County chief magistrate.

    “The chief has 18 years of experience,” Prioleau said, defending Culp. “With a judge with no experience and a chief with lots of experience, I have recommended we bring in the chief magistrate of Fairfield County to develop proper procedures.”

    Cookendorfer said he has a meeting scheduled with Prioleau on Wednesday to discuss the town’s police department, but that he is not aware that the Fairfield County chief magistrate had been contacted in regard to issues with the police chief.

    Judge Adrian Wilkes’s letter of complaint to Mayor Heath Cookendorfer concerning Ridgeway Police Chief Christopher Culp.

    Related: Chief survives move to fire him

  • Chief survives move to fire him

    NAACP, School officials called to defend Culp

    RIDGEWAY – Christopher Culp still has his job.

    Ridgeway’s police chief was not present when town council members killed an effort to fire him immediately.

    Councilman Rufus Jones made a motion to immediately fire Culp, but the motion died when nobody seconded it.

    Culp’s brush with potential termination comes amid a number of complaints, including doubling as a school resource officer at the expense of policing the town and openly disrespecting the town judge, according to public records obtained by The Voice. (See ‘Judge, others issue complaints against chief’.)

    Mayor Heath Cookendorfer said Monday that Culp isn’t certified to serve as an SRO, nor has the town appointed him to that role.

    “His primary job/responsibility is to perform the duties of a police officer,” the mayor said.

    In a letter obtained by The Voice, Municipal Judge Adrian Wilkes said Culp frequently challenges his authority in and out of the courtroom.

    “Chief Culp has shown a lack of manners, professionalism, and respect for the Court,” the letter states. “He has consistently attempted to speak over and interrupt myself and others within the courtroom.”

    In spite of these complaints and others, council members adjourned Thursday’s three-hour meeting without further discussion.

    Jones declined to comment after the meeting.

    In making his motion, Jones alluded to complaints about the chief doubling as a de facto school resource officer at Geiger Elementary School. But he said other complaints drove his desire to fire Culp.

    “I want to make a motion – this has nothing to do with the school – this motion is for the complaints we’ve had about Mr. Culp,” Jones said. “I would like to terminate him at once.”

    Cookendorfer told The Voice that Culp’s time spent at Geiger Elementary wasn’t an underlying issue, but acknowledged there have been discussions about the chief’s school visits.

    Additional complaints drove the discussion, but Cookendorfer declined to specify the nature of those complaints.

    “We had some complaints, and we addressed those complaints tonight,” the mayor said Thursday. “We talked about the times that he has been going there (the school), but we have to find a happy medium there. He’s not a school resource officer. He’s the chief of police.”

    State Law and SROs

    In his monthly report, Culp said he performed 22 security checks in May at Geiger Elementary. He also responded to five accidents there, council documents state.

    Culp further stated that 20 citations and 11 warnings were issued in the town. There were no arrests.

    State law defines school resource officers, or SROs, as sworn law enforcement officers who have “completed the basic course of instruction for School Resource Officers.”

    The course must be provided or recognized by the National Association of School Resource Officers or the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy, the law states.

    State law further states SROs “have as a primary duty the responsibility to act as a law enforcement officer, advisor, and teacher for that school district.”

    Maj. Florence McCants, spokeswoman for the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy, said Culp meets the primary qualification of being a Class 1 officer, which basically means he has full arrest powers and has completed the academy’s 12-week Basic Law Enforcement Training Program.

    But the chief has not completed any SRO certification courses recognized by the Justice Academy.

    McCants couldn’t say whether Culp met the second requirement, which says an SRO’s primary duty is to work as a law enforcement officer for the school district.

    William Frick, chairman of the Fairfield County School Board, said all SROs are currently contracted through the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office. The arrangement applies to schools both within and outside municipal limits, he said.

    Asked if there have been any communications between the Town of Ridgeway and school district about SROs at Geiger Elementary, Frick said he didn’t think so and deferred further comment to Superintendent Dr. J.R. Green.

    “Any contract negotiations would initiate with the district office,” Frick said.

    Green couldn’t be reached as of press time.

    In the meantime, Cookendorfer said the town plans to address performance issues with Culp.

    “It’s a heated situation, none of us run [for public office] to be popular. We have hard decisions to make,” he said. “We do have some underlying issues with the police department, and we’re going to correct those issues.”

    Supporters back Culp

    During both public input sessions, residents overwhelmingly spoke in favor of Culp. Among them were representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

    Brenda Murphy, president of the state NAACP and Ridgeway native, called Culp a role model.

    “You have a policeman who’s on the cutting edge,” Murphy said. “He’s there with our young people. He’s teaching them to not be afraid of the police. You are on the cutting edge because of this policeman.”

    Tiffany Allison said that as a relatively new resident and expecting mom that she believes in Culp’s ability to protect the town. She raised concerns about the town prohibiting Culp from performing well checks at Geiger Elementary School.

    “I was advised that you had banned Officer Culp from visiting the school for any reason other than to issue a citation,” Allison said.

    “You have removed the only protection our children have at this time during their school day for reasons that have yet to be justified,” she continued.

    Myra Bramlett, principal at Geiger Elementary, pleaded with council members to allow Culp to continue visiting the school.

    “If you are indeed thinking of taking away the local officer, I want you to think about how the kids have built a relationship [with Culp]. They know him and they support him,” Bramlett said. “The officers in law enforcement are our friends.”

    Related: Judge, others issue complaints against chief

  • Councilwoman storms out of executive session…again

    RIDGEWAY – About 20 minutes into the executive session, of the Thursday night Ridgeway Town Council meeting called to discuss the police department, Councilwoman Angela Harrison emerged alone, visibly distraught. Harrison said she left executive session because she was bothered by what council members were saying about the chief. It was the second time she has burst out of an executive session since the new government was seated in April.

    “I’m not going to let them talk about our chief that way. I cannot defeat the lies,” Harrison said. “They’re just trying to fry him. This is evil.”

    She spent about five minutes criticizing council and receiving hugs from supporters of the town’s police chief, Christopher Culp, before returning to the session.

    Related: Chief survives move to fire him,  Judge, others issue complaints against chief