The City of Manning terminated the employment of Manning Police Chief Blair Shaffer on Thursday. He was immediately replaced by retired South Carolina Highway Patrol Captain Keith Grice as Interim Police Chief.
The Police Department in Manning falls under the purview of the Public Safety Committee, which is comprised of Mayor Julia Nelson, Mayor Pro-tem Sherry Welle and District 1 Councilmember Clayton Pack. After evaluation, the Committee voted for Shaffer’s termination.
Employed with the Manning Police Department for over 25 years, Shaffer had held the position of chief since 2009. The Committee has no further information to release to the public at this time regarding the reasons for Shaffer’s termination.
“The safety of our residents, guests, and community is of utmost importance to the City of Manning,” said Nelson. “While this decision was a difficult one, the Committee believes that it is in the best interests of the City to seek new leadership to fill this important role.”
Within hours of releasing the information regarding the police chief’s termination, Grice stepped into the role, assisting the city during this time of crisis. During a ceremony which included his wife, Ladell, Grice was sworn in on Thursday evening.
Grice began his law enforcement career with the South Carolina Highway Patrol in Beaufort County in 1988, moving to Clarendon County in 1994. After serving 10 years in Clarendon County, he was made Captain in Orangeburg County in 2004.
While in Orangeburg, Grice obtained a certificate from the Administrators Office Management Program at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, an Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies from Limestone College in Gaffney and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, also from Limestone College. His specialized training includes traffic investigations, workplace violence, emergency disaster, hurricane evacuation and emergency pursuit. He retired from law enforcement on June 8.
Grice received the South Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper of the Year award in 1989 from Beaufort County, the South Carolina Highway Patrol Troop 7 Trooper of the Year award in 1999, the Clarendon County Officer of the Year award and the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church Outstanding Man of the Year award.
Grice is a Certified Driver Training Instructor with the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Currently, Grice and Ladelle run Hands On Driver Training, LLC, a driving instruction school in Manning, which has been in operation since 2007. According to the website, the school teaches “the proper way to operate a motor vehicle on the highway.”
Ladell held the bible for Grice’s swearing in, and their daughter, India, was present for the ceremony.
“He’s doing what he loves, and I support him fully,” said Ladell, who was previously in law enforcement. Ladell served as an investigator with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department from 1986-95, and she worked with the South Carolina Department of Corrections until 2011. In 2011, she became the Law Enforcement Services Instructor with F.E. Dubose, where she still works. For the first year, she also acted as Adjunct Instructor at Central Carolina.
The Public Safety Committee will search for a permanent Chief of Police, although Nelson is unsure how long this process will take or if Grice will be on the list of candidates. Until then, Grice will oversee the day-to-day operations for the Police Department.
“We chose him because of his experience,” said Nelson. “At his last job, he was captain, and he supervised 60 people in law enforcement with the Highway Patrol. He has a reputation of great integrity. In this interim, he will serve as an excellent person with that background.”
“I wasn’t really looking for a job, but the city called me,” said Grice, who is looking forward to working with the Manning Police Department. “I saw an opportunity to assist where I could, so I took advantage of that.”
