Pine Ridge, SC (Paul Kirby) – The Town of Pine Ridge announced Tuesday afternoon that they were back in the business of policing the streets of the town after they appointed an interim chief from the ranks of their part-time force. This was evident by the familiar 870 call signals, a cluster of radio numbers assigned to the Pine Ridge Police for many years, out working traffic and making stops of drivers in violation of the town’s and state’s laws that same afternoon.
According to a release from the town hall, Officer Frankie L. Neeley has been appointed interim police chief of the Pine Ridge Police Department. Officer Neeley is a military veteran who has served in United States Marine Corps and the United States Army for approximately 27 years. He has over 22 years of law enforcement experience in the Lexington County area having worked previously for the Springdale and West Columbia Police Departments. The same release went on to say that he has been a police officer with the Town of Pine Ridge since April of 2014. Officer Neeley was born and raised in the Town of Pine Ridge and still has family who reside in the town.
The press release did not say if Interim Chief Neeley would be offered the job full-time if he wanted it, nor did it say if he would be hiring for the position of lieutenant while he was still listed as interim chief. That is a position that department has supported in the past that is currently open as well. The department also has a full-time patrolman’s position that is currently held by Officer Dale Brown. They have also used a number of part-time and reserve officers in the past.
