CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Chief Saundra Rhodes declined to speak with News13 following her retirement announcement, but some of those who work closely with the Horry County Police department did open up.
The Chairman of the County’s Public Safety Committee and the 15th Circuit Solicitor have long working relationships with Chief Rhodes; they both said she will be greatly missed.
Rhodes came into the job facing adversity that only grew as attitudes towards law enforcement grew more negative following police shootings in Ferguson, Baltimore and Charleston.
In a statement to News13, Rhodes touched on current perceptions of police:
“In a world that constantly is changing and while some attitudes towards law enforcement officers reach an all time low, the Horry County Police Department has continued to be professional in all of its efforts. For that, I will be eternally proud and grateful.”
“I think that since she included that in her letter, certainly leads me to believe that’s probably part of the decision-making process,” said Solicitor Jimmy Richardson.
Richardson has known Chief Rhodes since he joined the office nearly 20 years ago, and said he was shocked by the announcement.
Richardson hasn’t spoken to the chief about her decision, but he said the job of police has grown more difficult in the years since Rhodes became chief.
“I think it would be a tough time to be a police officer and even tougher time to be a chief of police,” said Richardson.
The solicitor added that recent allegations of police misconduct by officers on the Horry County Police force has made that job even harder.
“I think that those sort of things would have an effect on your decision. Your employees could make it harder on you if they got into some trouble,” said Richardson.
“You can’t hold one person accountable for all of that because I believe it’s a combination of errors,” said councilman Al Allen.
Allen, who is the chairman of the Horry County Public Safety Committee has worked with Chief Rhodes for 25 years and praised her efforts as she faced difficult circumstances.
“I believe that she has handled them with a lot of integrity cause you’re always going to get a lot of ups and downs in an agency our size,” said Allen.
Allen said he wasn’t surprised by her decision.
“With her regional and national exposure, I know that she has had a lot of pressure from a lot agencies actively seeking her,” said Allen.
Both the solicitor and public safety chairman said they consider Rhodes not only a colleague, but also a friend. They also expressed their utmost respect for Interim Chief Kelvin Waites and noted that they look forward to working with him.