SC finishes 2021 above average in police officers charged with violence against women

Dec. 31—Thirteen South Carolina law enforcement officers were accused of committing violent crimes against women in 2021.

The law enforcement officers, mostly everyday street cops, were charged with some form of violence or harassment against women. In the previous 10 years, an average of nine officers were accused each year of committing similar crimes.

In April, The State reported on the number of police officers accused or found guilty of crimes such as murder, domestic violence, rape, kidnapping, assault, stalking and gun violence from 2010 to 2020. The vast majority of the crimes were committed while the officers were off duty and were against a spouse or romantic partner.

Survivor advocates and a police policy specialist said the average number of attacks is likely low and doesn't given an accurate picture of the amount of violence because victims don't always report abuse, fearing further abuse.

Of the 13 officers charged in 2021, eight were accused of domestic violence. Other charges included rape and kidnapping.

In one case, a Gaffney Police Department officer raped a "mentally incapacitated" woman in January, state police said. He was fired from the department for misconduct and charged with criminal sexual conduct by state police. The charge is pending.

In September, state police charged a Barnwell County deputy with abusing his girlfriend from March 2020 to July 2021. In one incident, he pulled his pregnant girlfriend off a bed by her legs, making her hit the floor, and took her cell phone, police said. His arrest more than a year after the initial assault drives home the point made by survivor advocates that more violence is likely happening than is reported. The charge is pending.

The domestic violence charge was dropped against at least one of the 13 officers, but survivors and advocates say a dropped charge doesn't mean abuse didn't happened. Victims may not want to go forward with charges to protect themselves or their children.

Very few South Carolina police agencies have specific policies for dealing with officers accused of domestic violence even though proposed policies are available from the International Association of Chiefs of Police. A proposal awaiting debate in the S.C. State House would require police agencies to have certain policies, but a policy concerning officers and domestic violence is not one of those being debated.

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