Senate unanimously confirms Keel to keep leading SLED

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s top law enforcement officer, Chief Mark Keel, has been confirmed to another term in the job.

Senators voted unanimously Wednesday to give Keel six more years leading the State Law Enforcement Division. Keel initially took the agency’s helm in 2011.

Gov. Henry McMaster again picked Keel in December, announcing the 66-year-old chief was willing to continue serving following a 30-day retirement, which allowed Keel to collect his retirement benefits. By law, a month-long break is required for officers to receive pension benefits and be technically rehired as a return-to-work retiree.

“With over 40 years of law enforcement experience and more than 12 years as the leader of SLED, Chief Keel is widely recognized by the public, elected officials, and the media as the leader of our state’s law enforcement community,” McMaster said in a statement Wednesday. “Retaining Chief Keel’s leadership and law enforcement expertise is a victory for our entire state. He is a true public servant, and I thank him for his willingness to continue serving the people of South Carolina.”

Keel was first appointed by then-Gov. Nikki Haley. McMaster then re-appointed him in 2018.

He will start his new term with a $267,000 salary after legislators voted last fall to give him a raise. It was $195,700.

Keel, a Barnwell native, started working at SLED more than four decades ago, in 1979, after graduating from Georgia Southern University. Over the years, he worked his way through the ranks, taking on a variety of positions, including as a helicopter pilot and hostage negotiator.