The Sheriff with a low side brings experience and compassion for its new role – public radio in South Carolina

The tall and wide shoulders, the new sheriff of Charleston County, Karl Richie, is difficult to miss. And he is already a well -known person in the low side, serving in local law enforcement authorities for more than 30 years.

“I’ve always had a service heart,” Sheriff Richie says. “I like to serve.”

As a child, the native of Jones says he never dreamed of becoming a police officer. But he turned out to take on the role of “patron” at an early age.

“I didn’t like a bully, I hated them,” says the sheriff. “And I was always a big kid, so it seemed that I would be the one who would always be there to protect someone who couldn’t protect himself.”

“It’s just a kind of my nature,” he says.

Experience

This nature made Richie serve both his country and community. He joined the Air Force, serving the Special Investigation and Security Forces Service before returning home to work in the law enforcement agencies, first in North Charleston, and later, Mount Plezant, where he was promoted to chief In 2013

He says he has found the job for incredibly rewarding.

“This is the impact you can do on someone who may have the oldest day of your life,” he says.

The mountain pleasant police

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In 2021, Ritchie tried to retire, but the lure for service and law enforcement was still whispered in his ear, as well as old friends. He says many encouraged him to run for sheriff last year. So he did it and won it. He is at work less than two months.

“I just think that this part of making my community is safe is from this community and I can talk to anyone,” Richie says. “I’m not interested in which side of your path.”

Richie’s victory returned the sheriff’s office to the Republican leadership, as it was decades before Christine Graziano, Democrat and the first open gay sheriff in the state, was elected. Much of the competition between the two focused on immigration and problems at the County Center for the County under the clock of Graziano.

Challenges

Richie is now facing an uncertain Latin American and Spanish community, which wants to know if there will be attacks by federal agents with immigration and customs (ICE), as those who have witnessed President Donald Trump.

The new sheriff says he will work with federal partners, although he has not yet released specifics.

“We will impose the law,” Richie says. “We are not out to abuse anyone, not to round the people you know.”

“This will happen in a fair and fair way.”

The sheriff says he met not only with concerned community members, but also for local mayors and head of public schools in Charleston County.

“We don’t come and kick in the school doors,” he says. “It’s not happening.”

What is happening, the sheriff says are immediate prison changes after a series of deaths of prisoners, allegations of abuse, court cases and investigation by the Ministry of Justice.

“It’s not a big hill to climb if you have the right people on the spot,” Richie says. “Even before I won the election, I had already started working as planned.”

Within days of swearing, Ritchie announced that he had hired a prison director to monitor the detention center, Stanley Davis, another 30-year-old veteran of law. The two know each other as the two were a lieutenant at the Plezant Police Department.

“If you are trying to build a connection during a crisis, you have already failed,” Richie says. “You have to have these relationships all the time and continue to build.”

Carl Richie for sheriff campaign

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Public relations

This is a lesson that the new sheriff leaned against, in 2015, when he helped organize a unity walk over Ravnell’s bridge after the racist slaughter of mother Emanuel Ame.

Only five years later, he again went with people, peacefully protesting against George Floyd’s murder in the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis. Richie says he then thanked him and wanted to pray with him. The then police chief did it.

But a photo on social media has shameted disputes, as some accused Ritchie of “taking a knee” as athletes have made a protest during the national anthem. Richie stood firmly in his faith.

“I was proud that I could do it and I would do it again with anyone who wanted to kneel and pray.”

Richie is well known for his passion to work with people with special needs. Last year, he helped to adopt legislation to create a registration number for autism people to warn the authorities and react better during incidents and stop traffic.

He is also a defender of the Special Olympics, ignites the torch and escorts athletes in annual running. He even shared his love for lifting power by teaching athletes with special needs for sports.

“We have some incredible athletes here in the low side,” Richie says. “They won gold and silver medals on the national scene.”

By the way, Richie still holds the national record for raising dead lifts in the USA PowerLifting Respiratory Staff, a record that he broke nearly 30 years ago.