Four Bluffton Police Department Members Suspended and Under Investigation
Bluffton Officials Under Suspicion
In a surprising outcome, four members of the Bluffton Police Department have been put on paid administrative leave, following a formal request by Chief Joe Babkiewicz for an internal investigation concerning their conduct. The members under investigation include Captain Scott Chandler, Sergeants Bonifacio Perez and Matt Ferrelli, and Department Quartermaster, Thomas Rauchfuss. All have been made to step aside as serious allegations of misconduct probe the department.
Two-fold Investigations Underway
Simultaneously, two separate investigations have been launched into these allegations. The first is being handled by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) – an external review, while the second, an internal affairs investigation, is being headed by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The reasons behind these investigations have been withheld from citizens and media at present.
Details of Investigations
Initial information suggests that the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office investigation was instigated by a serious policy issue reported to Sheriff P.J. Tanner by Chief Babkiewicz. This internal inquiry, according to Sheriff Tanner, emerged on May 9 or 10, and is expected to complete by end of May. However, Sheriff Tanner has clarified that the results of this investigation wouldn’t be made public until SLED’s separate investigation is concluded, which is still currently in progress.
Further commenting on the structure of the ongoing investigations, Sheriff Tanner stated, “Our office’s investigation is separate from SLED’s. We can’t share any information unearthed in our probe with SLED”. He also emphasized, “Since our investigation is associated with policy issues, the accused have to provide full disclosure during our probe and cannot choose to remain silent”. Assurance was given that such disclosures wouldn’t be utilized in SLED’s concurrent investigation.
Bluffton Police Department Members Still Under Leave
In an update on May 28, Chief Babkiewicz reaffirmed that the four officials, Captain Chandler, Sergeant Perez, Sergeant Ferrelli, and Quartermaster Rauchfuss, are still on administrative leave. As the twin investigations are ongoing, any decisive conclusion about the seriousness of the allegations or any potential implications remains speculative. Nonetheless, these investigations into the conduct of the Bluffton Police Department’s members have surely cast a pall of unease over the department and all of Beaufort county’s law enforcement agencies.
While there is limited information available at this time, the negative implications of these investigations for Bluffton Police Department’s reputation comes at a critical time for the forces, as they grapple to maintain trust and show transparency amidst these allegations. The coming weeks are crucial, and expected to bring more clarity on the situation.
