City of Chester terminates police chief; County sheriff now has law enforcement command
The city of Chester in South Carolina has terminated the police chief, according to a social media posting from the city’s official Facebook page.
The posting stated that Curtis Singleton was terminated Wednesday as an employee of the city.
The posting did not give a reason for the termination.
The posting said Capt. Al Crawford of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office has been temporarily assigned by the sheriff to take over operational command for law enforcement services in the city. Crawford continues to serve under the authority of Sheriff Max Dorsey, the statement said.
The city issued the original posting, then it was re-posted on the sheriff’s official Facebook page.
Singleton had been the chief of the Chester Police Department for less than a year. Chester is a city of about 5,500 people. Chester is the county seat of Chester County, and is between Rock Hill and Columbia. Chester County has around 32,000 residents, which includes the city population.
The city has its own police force, while the sheriff’s office has countywide jurisdiction.
The statement said city and county administrators, the sheriff and top deputies, and the Chester mayor met Wednesday to discuss public safety services in the city.
City police officers will work under the command of Crawford, officials said in the statement.
The full city of Chester statement issued late Wednesday reads:
“Earlier today, Police Chief Curtis Singleton was terminated as an employee of the City of Chester.
This afternoon, City Administrator Malik Whitaker and Mayor Carlos Williams met with Sheriff Max Dorsey, members of the Sheriff’s Command Staff, and County Administrator Brian Hester regarding the continuation of law enforcement services within the City of Chester, as a result of the Chief’s dismissal.
Our meeting was extremely productive, and all attendees committed to ensuring the citizens of the City are afforded the best police services available.
As of 2pm today, the Sheriff has temporarily assigned Sheriff’s Captain Al Crawford to serve as the Operational Commander for law enforcement services in the City of Chester. This new and temporary role is in addition to his current responsibilities at the Sheriff’s Office.
Captain Crawford remains an employee of the Sheriff and remains under the authority of the Sheriff.
Current employees of the City of Chester Police Department will continue serving in their roles, as employees of the City of Chester, while under the law enforcement operational direction of Captain Crawford, of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office.
This temporary adjustment to the structure of law enforcement services in the City is in no way an effort by Sheriff Dorsey to permanently supplant or replace police services by the City of Chester.
Sheriff Dorsey is committed to working with the City of Chester to support their work to build an excellent municipal police department.
We recognize the Sheriff’s Office has limited resources as well, and we expect to receive additional help from our state law enforcement partners.”
Dorsey pledges sheriff’s office support
In a phone interview with The Herald Thursday, Dorsey reiterated that the sheriff’s office command role is a measure to make sure public safety is not interrupted. The measure is not expected to be permanent, Dorsey said.
“I want this to be temporary,” Dorsey said.
The sheriff’s office, under Crawford’s command, will work with existing city officers to ensure public safety, Dorsey said.
Crawford, a sheriff’s office captain, is a seasoned and experienced supervisor and law enforcement professional with both police and military background, Dorsey said. Crawford continues with his sheriff’s office role as well, Dorsey said.
The sheriff’s office has done investigations in the city in the past, and will continue to do that, Dorsey said.
“As sheriff, I have responsibility for the entire county,” Dorsey said. “My pledge is to protect the city as best we can with the resources we have...We can work together to provide professional law enforcement services.”
Dorsey said he spoke with State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel Wednesday. Dorsey said SLED will continue to support city and county law enforcement efforts in Chester.
Efforts to reach Chester Mayor Carlos Williams by phone and email were unsuccessful Thursday.
Check back for updates on this story.
This story was originally published August 24, 2023 at 9:34 AM with the headline "City of Chester terminates police chief; County sheriff now has law enforcement command."
