Pelion, SC 01/16/2024 (Paul Kirby) – The Town of Pelion SC has rehired a true area law enforcement legend to take over the job as the leader of their growing Police Department. Chief Chris Garner will assume the reins of the department on February 1, 2025.
Chief Garner is a true law enforcement legend who has served the citizens of Lexington County and other surrounding areas for the past 45 years. He is third generation law enforcement. Both his dad and grandfather were officers in upstate New York. He and his wife’s son William has also pursued a law enforcement career. He is a patrol officer with the Lexington, SC Police Department.
Besides Chief Chris Garner and his son William, Garner’s family is 100% law enforcement through and through. Garner’s brother-in-law is Assistant Sheriff Greg Shockley under Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon. His father-in-law, the late William “Bill” Shockley, was a former sheriff’s deputy and later the magistrate of the Swansea and Gaston areas of Lexington County. His wife Connie Shockley Garner is in charge of the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Diversion Program for Solicitor Rick Hubbard.
Garner 1st retired from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department as the regional commander for the South Region. From there he was hired in 2004 to rebuild the Pelion Police Department after the town’s department had been disbanded for over 30 years. He later retired again and began working as the interim chief of departments around his Mack Edisto home that included stints at Springfield, South Congaree, and Salley Police Departments.
Garner was a SC Criminal Justice Academy Instructor for years and has since developed a PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) and Tactical Vehicle Interception courses that he teaches at the Camden Motorsports Complex. Garner is also a graduate of the FBI’s Command College in Quantico, VA.
Chief Garner has been recognized with South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto. He was also presented with the Strom Thurmond Award which is presented for excellence in law enforcement and has received many other awards and recognitions for his work in the public safety field.
Garner said during a recent interview with The Lexington Ledger that he is looking forward to returning to Pelion as the chief of the town’s Police Department. “I thank God that I am still physically and emotionally able to continue serving the great people of this wonderful town. Pelion is poised to see tremendous growth as several new neighborhoods are being developed close by. As soon as I get back to work, I plan a full assessment of the department and then I will develop an immediate plan to guide us as the growth begins to happen,” Chief Garner said. “After that’s done, we’ll develop a 1 year and 5-year plan that will position us to meet the needs of the town as we begin seeing the effects of the growth we know is on the way.”
Garner also said that he planned to continue to work closely with other agencies to cement the relationships that the Pelion Police Department has with those. “I want to work closely with Sheriff Koon at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Coroner Margaret Fisher and her team, and the chiefs and staffs of all surrounding departments in and out of Lexington County. We’ll also focus on working with the SC Highway Patrol (SCHP), the Eleventh Circuit Solicitors Office, and the SC Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to best serve the citizens of our town and the surrounding areas.”
Pelion’s Mayor Frank Shumpert said, “We are looking forward to having Chris and his leadership return to the Pelion Police Department. He’s been a key leader in this portion of the county for years and we’re confident he can do a great job of handling what we feel will be explosive growth that’s headed our way.”
Garner and his wife Connie are members of Convent Baptist Church just north of Pelion and they are devout believers. “Connie and I know that God is in control, and we’ll continue to follow and serve him in our daily lives.”
PHOTO CAPTION: Chief Chris Garner (left) presents his son William Garner (right) his certificate of completion as he graduated from the Basic Officer Law Enforcement course at the SC Criminal Justice Academy
