The Sheriff showed up in-person at the Richland courthouse after a bond revocation hearing in October 2022 related to my neighborhood getting shot up. Long story short, a soft on crime judiciary put us and his deputies in danger by bonding out and not monitoring a certain offender with an increasingly violent record. The Sheriff and his patrol region chain of command worked well with us, albeit told us some white lies to protect their investigation that reached into Newberry County and Lexington County. Like the offenders not being jailed yet and another shooting or attempted shooting happening. Can't remember the timeline at the moment.
The Sheriff in 2006 slow-walked a drug investigation in the neighborhood. Pressure was applied through the local state rep to look at the situation harder. The Sheriff did share with those addresses nearby, who made reports of the drug dealing activity, pictures of the eventual bust via letter sent USPS. The amount of pills and weed pulled from that house was beyond what RCSD investigators were claiming to be a low-level dealer.
I can't comment to his organizational leadership, other than what service I've received as a taxpayer.
eta. Can't comment to current SCSG leadership. They really weren't up to coordinating citizen volunteers during the 2015 Columbia flood. They seemed to have been shamed into allowing citizens to assist them. Disorganized. Big club and you're not in it vibe. Sent volunteers on snipe hunts (no activity the location) and then had them show up only to be sent home multiple days. Better volunteer coordination, amongst those who visited SCSG, was eventually found through churches and food banks.