South Congaree, SC 03/15/2024 (Paul Kirby) – The Town of South Congaree’s Police Chief has stepped down to take a position with the South Carolina Transport Police. Shumpert served the town faithfully working his way up through the ranks of the department for 19 years.
Former Lexington County Councilman and South Congaree Reserve Police Officer Bobby Keisler once stated while speaking of Shumpert, “Josh was bitten by the cop bug early. He used to ride with me just after school when I patrolled. I hated doing paperwork, but I learned that after we were done for the day, if I took Josh out for a good meal, he’d fill out all our reports.” Keisler concluded with a chuckle, “It’s funny how you remember those things after all these years.”
A drop in for Chief Shumpert at the park beside the town hall Friday evening from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. The community is urged to attend and bid the chief farewell.
At a recent meeting of the town’s council, they promoted Special Operation’s Captain Chris Garner to be their interim chief. Garner comes from a long line of law enforcement officer in New York State. He has lived in SC for many years, is married to Connie Shockley Garner who works for the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office, and they have a son William who works for the Lexington Police Department. Chief Garner retired from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department as a regional commander and the went to work for the Town of Pelion where he was tasked with restarting that department after it had been dormant for many years. He has also been employed by the Springfield Police Department after retiring from Pelion P.D.
Garner said in a recent interview that he believes helping the public is the Lord’s work. “I have been blessed with a servant’s heart. I feel in you remember that God is in charge, it gives you a completely different perspective when you encounter people out here that are often having some sort of crisis or maybe even the worse day of their lives.”
PHOTO: Chief Josh Shumpert
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