Beaufort’s police chief announces retirement. Former Bluffton chief to serve as interim
Beaufort Police Chief Dale McDorman, who rose through the ranks in a nearly 30-year career with the department, is retiring after two years at the helm.
The veteran officer is credited with implementing several policing initiatives and said he leaves proud of the department’s accomplishments under his watch, including the department’s recent accreditation by a statewide law enforcement group.
The city announced McDorman’s retirement Thursday after he informed his department Wednesday. His final day on the job is Jan. 26.
McDorman began with the Beaufort Police Department in 1995. He established the department’s first K-9 program. He was promoted through the ranks, and became lieutenant of operations in 2005. In 2010, he was promoted to deputy chief by Chief Matthew Clancy. He was named interim chief in July 2020 following Clancy’s death. In November of 2020, McDorman was selected as police chief.
City Manager Scott Marshall said that he intends to appoint Deputy Chief Stephenie Price as the interim police chief while the city conducts a search for McDorman’s replacement. Price, the former police chief in Bluffton who resigned last year, was hired earlier this year to be the second-in-command at the Beaufort Police Department.
During his tenure, Chief McDorman led the department in increased transparency efforts as well as greater community engagement, the city said.
The department now posts monthly reports related to police calls, crimes and demographic information. McDorman began a Nixle alert system. In addition, the department began various outreach efforts directed at children, families, businesses and residents, such as Chill with a Cop, Movie Nights in the Park, Walk with a Cop, and Coffee with a Cop.
Following a spate of shootings in the city in 2022, residents in downtown-area neighborhoods expressed frustration about the lack of information the department was giving out about the incidents. Later, the department began sending out the Nixle alerts about breaking public safety incidents.
The city launched an investigation in November 2022 after a female officer alleged McDorman contributed to a hostile work environment, including sexual harassment. The findings of the investigation found “no legal substance” for the complaints, but the city still took disciplinary action against McDorman. A disciplinary letter from then-City Manager Bill Prokop cited “a breakdown in communications and leadership” in that instance.
The search for a permanent replacement for McDorman will include input from residents and the city council. “I think it’s important to include public feedback and to be as transparent as possible when considering a hire for a position like this,” Marshall said.
Price, the deputy chief who will serve as interim chief, joined the city in January. She resigned as Bluffton police chief in August 2022 after a little less than two years on the job. Her tenure was marked by high officer turnover but Price, who joined the Bluffton department from the Savannah Police Department in October 2020, defended her leadership and touted the department’s retention efforts.
An Ohio native, McDorman served in the U.S. Air Force eight years after high school and as a sheriff’s deputy in Ohio before moving to Beaufort and starting with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office in 1990. He joined the city agency five years later.
In Beaufort, he worked to get additional school resource officers at each public school, established a mentoring program for at-risk students. Under his leadership, the Police Department has hosted numerous training and continuing education classes for law enforcement officers from throughout Beaufort County.
Notably, the Police Department was recently notified that it had earned a Certificate of Accreditation from South Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc., the organization that audits law enforcement agencies in the state every three years to ensure that they are meeting national standards in both policies and practices. The accreditation commends the department for its “demonstrated dedication to excellence and professionalism.”
“I’m so proud of our department and what we have accomplished, and this accreditation is due to all the hard work of the officers and staff,” McDorman said in a news release. “These last 28 years went by quickly, and it was an honor getting to work alongside some of the most talented and dedicated officers you will ever find. “
This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 12:47 PM.
