24 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com Safer communities, tighter school security and better resistance to cybercrime and child trafficking are four issues that Charleston County sheriff candidate Carl Ritchie intends to achieve if elected. Ritchie, a current member of Mount Pleasant Town Council and a 33-year veteran of law enforcement, is making his first bid for sheriff. He has spent the last three decades of service in the Lowcountry building toward this moment. “The sheriff’s office needs stronger leadership,” said Ritchie, who retired in 2021 as chief of the Mount Pleasant Police Department. “It needs better direction and a vision that is consistent with the needs of the residents of Charleston County.” RITCHIE'S CAREER EXPERIENCE • 2021 election to Mount Pleasant Town Council. • Public safety first responder for more than 37 years, combined in civilian law enforcement, active-duty Air Force and the Air Force Reserve. • Member of the South Carolina Municipal Insurance and Risk Financing Fund Law Enforcement Advisory Committee. • Leading MPPD to two consecutive Gold Standard Reaccreditations and consistently reducing violent and nonviolent crime through proactive community policing efforts. These efforts helped Mount Pleasant become recognized year after year as one of the safest cities in South Carolina. • Operational planning of many high-profile events, such as a Unity March over the Ravenel Bridge with more than 10,000 participants supporting the Emanuel Nine victims; the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention; and managing a protest of more than 2,000 activists and community members while ensuring the safety and security of Mount Pleasant. “My experience, education and training are current, relevant and without a long break in service,” Ritchie said. “And altogether, I think they make me the best candidate for sheriff.” Additionally, Ritchie not only holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from the Command College at Anderson University but is also a graduate and Riley Fellow of the Riley Institute at Furman University’s Diversity Leaders Initiative, and a member of the Police Executive Research Forum. When asked about a single issue he would like to see permanently controlled or eliminated if elected, Ritchie said it was far and away “fentanyl and opioid use.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 220 people a day in the U.S. died from opioid overdoses in 2020. Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Anne Milgram has called fentanyl the “single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered.” Ritchie said while he has worked before with enforcement agencies to keep this national issue under control, serving as sheriff will only increase that commitment. “I will work with all of our federal, state, local and private partners to reduce fentanyl and opioid deaths and protect our children and vulnerable adults who are often targeted through the internet and dark web,” Ritchie added. “As for regular law enforcement, public service and safety have always been my calling and purpose. And as sheriff of Charleston County, I would remain committed to ensuring that the residents and businesses that make our community so special are protected in every way possible.” Ritchie’s next step toward sheriff is the June 11 primary election. If he wins, he will be on the general election ballot for Nov. 5. BY L. C. LEACH III Sworn to Protect Former police chief runs for sheriff our town
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1