S.C. State Guardsmen to patrol state prison facility exterior grounds
February 28, 2018
By Chris Carter
COLUMBIA, SC – The South Carolina State Guard will begin augmenting security along the perimeters of S.C. correctional facilities. Guardsmen will now patrol on foot along exterior prison properties in an “anti-contraband effort” between the S.C. Dept. of Corrections (SCDC) and the S.C. State Guard: The partnership signed into law by S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, Feb. 27, 2018.
Executive Order 2018-10 also “empowers the State Guard to assist SCDC with additional manpower in patrolling the exterior of correction facilities and fence towers,” according to a statement released by the Governor’s office.
“We’ve had a problem for years with cell phones, and once that phone gets inside, a prisoner can conduct a criminal enterprise on the outside,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “[SCDC Director Bryan Stirling] has been innovative and is the leader in the United States for getting the rule changed to allow Corrections to block cell phones signals. So, I have issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in the South Carolina prisons due to this contraband and order the South Carolina State Guard under the command of Major General Tom Mullikin to assist the Department of Corrections in patrolling the exterior of the facilities and guard towers to prevent such contraband from being thrown over or being dropped by drones over the fences.”
Mullikin is a former U.S. Army legal officer who today commands the all-volunteer S.C. State Guard, a component part of the S.C. Military Dept., which also oversees the S.C. Army National Guard, the S.C. Air National Guard, the S.C. Emergency Management Div., and other elements.
“The State Guard has been protecting South Carolina since 1670, and we’re delighted and honored to have this opportunity to help stand up and protect not only the [corrections] guards, but the surrounding communities of the prisons we will be supporting as a force multiplier,” said Mullikin. “Not only will this be an effective solution, but it will also be a cost-effective solution, because the services offered by our professionals are offered at no cost to the state.”
The newly mandated partnership and security initiative will begin as a pilot program, starting with a memorandum of understanding between the S.C. State Guard and the SCDC. The program will utilize only those members of the S.C. State Guard who are certified Class-1 law-enforcement officers. Similar partnerships with the Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office have resulted in over 100 arrests since early 2017. The arrests were made of individuals attempting to throw contraband over the prison fences or using private drones to do the same.
The partnership is the latest effort by Gov. McMaster and Director Stirling to mitigate the problem of contraband in prisons. Stirling recently testified before the Federal Communications Commission requesting that corrections agencies to be given the authority to block cell phone signals in prisons. He has “led the national effort to combat the growing crisis of contraband cell phones,” according the Governor’s office.
“This [partnership] literally will help ensure the safety of our institutions,” says Stirling. “This will allow us to take our perimeter security personnel and move them inside, making it safer for the corrections officers and the inmates.”
Present for the Governor’s announcement were Director Stirling; Maj. Gen. Mullikin; Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, Deputy Adjutant General for the S.C. National Guard; Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott (who also serves as deputy commander of the S.C. State Guard); and Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon.
– This article is based largely on a statement from the office of the Governor of South Carolina.
[photo of Gen. Mullikin and Gov. McMaster by Post & Courier]
