Some of y’all have mentioned this development on a previous thread, but here’s a separate post for it:
COLUMBIA, SC — Beleaguered former Columbia police chief Randy Scott will return to his former employer, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department later this month at a salary barely more than a uniform deputy.
Sheriff Leon Lott announced Wednesday afternoon that Scott starts May 13 with the title of “inspector” at pay of $40,000. A deputy sheriff’s starting pay is $35,000, Lott said in a prepared statement.
Efforts to reach Lott have been unsuccessful…
It had already been reported — I had mentioned it here — that Sheriff Lott had said he would hire him back any time. I didn’t realize, though, that it was an actual job offer — I saw it more as a good word for a friend having a hard time.
Today, of course, was Randy Scott’s first day off the city payroll.
What do I think of this? I think the following:
I like Randy Scott. I thought he was doing a good job as chief. I found his leave of absence, and then resignation, puzzling and troubling. I think we deserve to know more, especially because of the pattern of events over the last few months, with his retirement/rehiring and the money the city shelled out to make that happen.
I also have a lot of respect for Sheriff Lott. I know he knows Randy Scott a lot better than I do, and I want to think he knows what he’s doing. I get the impression that he’s trying to help out a friend, and I find that personally admirable. But public jobs are not for making personal gestures. The public will be watching closely to see whether this hire was justified or not. Which, ironically, may put additional stress on former Chief Scott at a bad time. So it might not be that much of a favor in the long run.
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Looks like Sonny Crockett got Tubbs back on the force. Don’t worry about the PTSD diagnosis, he’ll be fine with a gun. If he shoots someone there will be a lawsuit, if he goes off the deep end and shoots himself there will be a lawsuit. There are enough people talking about this that this may be the end of Sheriff Crockett come election time.
The question I want answered is “What about the $52K?” We need answers on why that gift was given and how it was presented and who approved it.
Will he still be receiving a pension on top of his salary?
Of course; it will be like having is old pre-“retirement” pay again. All the money and none of the responsibility. I didn’t realize that there were TWO state lotteries. Only this one only has a jackpot for one connected guy.
Not that it really matters in the scheme of things, but since he will collect his May city salary and he will receive a RCSD salary it looks like, he will actually get a triple dip – and not have to work for it.
Amazing. That is total abuse of the public trust. And pocketbook.
More than the $52k, I want to know how and why one guy was enabled to do this when the state pension system has had rules in place to restrict this very type of time-in-service shenanigans for probably over a hundred years.
He retired effective May 1. How do you figure he’s getting his city salary?
He was employed as of May 1, so if he is salaried, he was probably paid – or is payable – for the month. I figured that’s why he left on May 1st and not on April 30th.
Since the chief “earned” his yearly retirement benefit on January 1st, it stands to reason his contract calls for a monthly salary paid in advance. Am I wrong? Of course the problem is no one knows since his situation does not follow any civil service norm…
I meant to say his yearly paid sick and vacation days…
Am I correct to believe that Scott would have to pay income taxes on that $52,000?
Was anyone else in the department given the chance to apply for this promotion from Deputy to Inspector or was the paperwork pushed through with Scott’s name on it?
How many other RCSD employees have been diagnosed with PTSD that have a badge and a gun?
What are the odds of Lott retiring as Sheriff and Scott running for his office? Knowing Richland County politics, probably 100%.
A good opinion piece from Kevin Fisher of the Free Times on this being the right time for the Richland County and Columbia PD to merge. The history of the flip-flops by the council on the topic is something I wasn’t aware of but doesn’t surprise me.
http://www.free-times.com/news/benjamin-should-seize-opportunity-move-to-merge-police-forces
It’s a shame that The State spends more time worrying about Mark Sanford than it does about what is going on a couple miles from its office. Too bad the tough reporting on local issues is left to a free weekly paper.
Actually, I haven’t noticed The State doing much of anything with the 1st District race. They’ve been running Gina Smith’s stories from the Island Packet. So if there’s a single reporter at The State following this, I’ve missed it. There’s certainly been nothing but Gina stories the last few days.
And I don’t think editorial has done anything at all.
So basically, when the state’s capital city newspaper is apparently not devoting ANY reporting resources to the most talked-about political story in the country, happening right here in SC, I really don’t think you can blame THAT for them not doing some other story you want them to do…
I mean, if zero is too much for you, Doug, what’s the right number? Minus 3 reporters? Minus four?…
@Brad – I am talking about what is displayed on The State website. I don’t pay attention to who the reporters are. There have been far more stories about Sanford than Chief Scott.
Seriously, shouldn’t SOMEONE at The State be out there asking questions about the $52K buyout, the rumors of why Scott really had to resign, etc.?
They appear to be only capable of repeating what is said at press conferences and nothing more.
I may be remembering this wrong, but isn’t the reason that we even know about the $52k the fact the The State was asking, and when they didn’t get answers, filed an FOI request to get it?
You are correct. Noelle Phillips filed the story on April 19, 2013:
http://www.thestate.com/2013/04/19/2733249/columbia-paid-51861-to-help-police.html
Wish she could provide some more information.
I guess I have this fantasy idea of reporters digging into stories, not filing FOIA requests, reporting the results, and then dropping it. How many hours were spent on this important story? 1? 2?
This should be front page news.
Who approved the payment? Why was it approved? Was Chief Scott aware of the payoff? Did he request it? Are there any documents related to the process? Was the Mayor involved in any way? Does the money have to be paid back? If not, why not? If so, when? Was this considered taxable income for Chief Scott?
I can think of dozens of questions that should be answered.
I kind of thought it had been front page news, at each development in the story.
Thanks, Silence. I think this says it all:
““This purchase was intended to offset loss of future benefits, including health insurance following retirement, lost when Chief Scott resigned from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department,” the explanation said.
No one interviewed for this story could offer a more clear explanation. Efforts to reach the seven City Council members, including Mayor Steve Benjamin, were not successful.”
And that’s it? Are we done with the story now that none of the City Council members or the mayor were available to comment?
Also, filing an FOI is something you do in ADDITION to asking questions. You do it when your questions are running up against a wall.
Filing an FOI and reporting on the results is doing MORE, not doing less…
Why are we blaming The State here?
They are at least trying to expose this.
Not blaming The State, but I wish someone would dig in a little more, or work some sources to get the truth out.
I’m part of the problem for the demise of local journalism, since I’m a voracious news reader, but I cancelled my subscription.
No, Doug, I’m quite sure that no one is “done with the story,” least of all The State.
Today’s story contains what was known — under the strict interpretation of that, which is what could be CONFIRMED — as of deadline last night.
The next story will have what is known at that time, as reporters and editors continue to learn more.
Now, if you want to get into whether news writing is clear enough, well… you’ll get into the area of something that’s been a pet peeve of mine for the past 20 years. It seems like, almost from the moment that I left the newsroom for editorial (at the end of 1993), news writing suddenly got worse, harder to follow. (And I’m talking news writing in America, not just at The State.)
For which I blame the editors.
This is more than just “hey, I did a better job than that in my day.” It’s also because, when I started having to make editorial judgments about the news, I became starkly aware of the fact that news stories didn’t answer the questions I needed answered in order to make up my mind what to think about that particular issue or news development.
Time and again, as I read the lede of a story, I would immediately think of a question that would be the one, most pertinent question that I needed answered in order to decide what I thought about the development. And I would read on, looking for the answer to that question… and never find it.
And of course, if I wasn’t able to decide (on the basis of the story) what to think about it, the reader was probably in the same boat. Which means we weren’t fulfilling the basic mission of the Fourth Estate to make readers better citizens, able to make coherent, intelligent political judgments about the news.
I think everybody who works in news should have to spend a stint in editorial, trying to come up with an opinion about the issues that news stories are about. It would make them better at newswriting.
Instead, we get the opposite. Since reporters aren’t supposed to have an opinion, they don’t try to form an opinion about what they’re writing about, and therefore don’t see how inadequate their stories are to helping their readers form their own opinions of what’s going on.
But I digress…
I’m with Doug. I read the stories online and don’t pay attention to the byline. They could be writing for The Island Packet or McClatchey or The Hindustan Times for all I know.
Does The State even have reporters anymore, or are they just aggregating the news? I kid, but only slightly. I know that Monk and Beam are over there, still. Maybe they don’t have the time to delve into stories as deeply as they’d like. Oftentimes I’ve felt like The State was in cahoots with Columbia’s city council, or just printing whatever Chernoff Newman faxed over.
It’s a shame that the mantle of investigative journalism has been completely turned over to The Free Times, local TV news outlets, and bloggers. We need a hero.
There are very, very few reporters left. That’s why it’s relevant to question how they are used.
Space on the website is an unlimited resource. Reporters’ time is a very rare one.
Your complaint reminds me of people back in 2000 complaining that the Legislature was spending all its time on the Confederate flag, instead of on “more important” things.
You know how much time the SC House actually spent on the flag? One day. One day, and Speaker Wilkins refused to let anything come out of it other than the lousy compromise the Senate had put forward. He just rammed that through, ignoring all the better plans that people tried to put forward that day. Which is why we’re stuck with the thing on the State House grounds.
And they haven’t spent a moment on it in the 13 years since.
Yes, Eva Moore actually quashed several rumors by actually investigating them. Her piece last week was first rate!
So when did she say the city would get their $52,000 back? And the SC retirement their four months of retirement checks sent out… and the 3 years worth he’ll receive before he’s actually at a service period where he can start drawing them?
All valid questions that deserve answers and accountability.
If you believe what the neighbor told the reporter. I wonder what would have happened if the neighbor said that there were parties and women in and out of that place all the time. It’s not like Scott has friends in high places that can cause the neighbor problems. I’m sure Scott, with his reputation, is sitting alone reading the Bible and doing The State’s daily Jumble every night before retiring at 8:30.
I don’t fault Sheriff Lott for hiring Inspector Scott for a “non-stressful” position, which sounds like it’s basically an administrative type job. I do think that city taxpayers should hear the truth about the shenanigans that went on with the Chief’s leave, retirement buyout, and possibly phony PTSD diagnosis. I wish that Sheriff lot had held off on hiring the Inspector until we received said explanation. The city of Columbia elected officials never cease to amaze me with their ridiculousness.
Or how Sheriff/General Lott was able to ramrod a new Inspector position through County HR and not have more than one person apply for the opening.
I don’t know what to make of this. It’s just odd.
There’s gotta be some way to form a citizen’s grand jury to investigate or something.
@Silence
That used to be the function of journalists.
Which is why people are shocked at the actions of the likes of Jody Barr. We’re so used to fluff pieces in the media that when someone actually goes out and investigates people are all “how dare he”. Which is why corruption is so common and expected today… especially if you live in SC.
We can rant and rave all day long here and on the internet and in the occasional letter to The State but it will do no good. Until an office-holder has the guts to buck the “go along to get along” mentality among Richland County officeholders and speak out there will be no change. The silence is deafening and the citizens have no one to lead the way.
Won’t happen until we see term limits… elected officials are only interested in one thing, being re-elected.
It’s as if all of the people who would ordinarily be called upon to investigate this situation are involved intimately in the situation, or have close personal relationships with the individuals involved – and they ain’t talking. City council approved the deal. Scott used to work for the Sheriff, and now does again. The solicitor also used to work for the Sheriff. Since the sheriff is an elected official, county council doesn’t have any real oversight, I don’t think. Plus the sheriff’s pretty popular. What we need is the AG, SLED or the FBI to investigate. I’m not sure that they aren’t compromised as well, though. Too many close personal relationships around here.
Yes, South Carolina law enforcement seems pretty incestuous.
Anyone else find it odd that Gov. Haley has selected a lawyer from Ogletree Deakins to head up the SCDEW? It’s the same firm that Mayor Steve Benjamin works for. Small world after all.
Where is Juan Caruso when you need him?
Steve Benjamin has moved on to Parker Poe…
Ogletree does mainly employment law – from the employer side.
There is nothing wrong with hiring smart, capable people to lead executive functions; even over following the “process”. What is the problem is when the politicians don’t believe that they are in office to serve the best interests of the people in this state. That is the contagion that is most afflicting South Carolina. Competence is not the issue…