SLED chief Mark Keel outlines agency structure, operations and pressing public-safety challenges to House subcommittee
February 11, 2025 | Legislative Oversight, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina
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Chief Mark Keel, chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, told the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Feb. 29, 2024, that SLEDs core mission remains providing technical expertise and manpower to local agencies and conducting investigations on behalf of the state.
Keel said the agency operates 70 distinct units, has an annual budget of $148,137,395 in total funds (including $52,148,045 in federal and other funds), and about 758 full-time equivalent employees (about 789 employees on the latest payroll when temporary staff were counted). "Everybody in South Carolina deserves equal level of law enforcement service," Keel said, summarizing SLEDs statewide mission.
The committee heard a top-line description of SLEDs investigative services (including the special victims unit, child-fatality investigations and a behavioral-science unit), narcotics and interdiction efforts, alcohol and vehicle-crimes enforcement, counterterrorism and specialized tactical units (SWAT, bomb squad, aviation, bloodhounds), the forensic laboratory, and a statewide critical-infrastructure cybersecurity program that provides no-cost services to local governments and private partners.
Why it matters: Keel framed SLED as a statewide backstop for smaller or rural agencies that lack specialized capabilities. Lawmakers pressed on operational limits and community impacts that flow from shortages or policy gaps, including lack of mental-health beds, rising illicit synthetic drugs, and proliferation of fraudulent identification.
Summary of core details
- Agency role and authority: Keel explained SLEDs statutory duties include investigations of organized and interstate criminal activity, arson, operation of a statewide forensic laboratory, covert narcotics investigations, and operation of the state criminal-justice information system (CJIS). He said SLED provides assistance to local, state and federal partners but does not exercise authority over local law enforcement.
- Size and funding: Keel said SLEDs total-funds budget is $148,137,395 and federal/other funds total $52,148,045; the agency reported roughly 758 FTEs (about 91 federal-funded FTEs and 666 state FTEs by Keels count). Keel said many federal grant dollars are pass-through funds to local agencies.
- Investigative services: The division handles violent-crime investigations, officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, official-misconduct and public-corruption probes, and maintains units for vulnerable-adult abuse, child fatality, forensic art, behavioral science (threat assessments, profiling and cold-case assistance), and state grand-jury support.
- Licensing and specialized services: SLED licenses polygraph examiners, performs background reviews tied to alcohol licensing (but does not issue licenses), conducts election-fraud intake via a hotline, and maintains victim-advocate resources for investigations that SLED leads.
- Narcotics interdiction and fentanyl: Keel described parcel-interdiction work with private carriers and federal partners. He cited national figures from 2023 reported by the DEA (80,000,000 fentanyl-laced pills seized and 12,000 pounds of fentanyl) and said SLED seizures in that year included 4,927 grams (about 10 pounds) of fentanyl in partial interdiction operations. Keel emphasized the lethal potency of fentanyl and linked the volume of illicit drugs to border and precursor-chemical supply issues.
- Emerging product enforcement: Keel said SLED is seeing widespread availability of infused hemp/THC products (including synthetic derivatives such as delta-8 and delta-10) that often test above the legal hemp threshold and raised questions about the absence of age limits for purchase. He said the forensic laboratory is working to analyze these products.
- Fraud and document forgery: Keel said SLED encounters high-quality fraudulent identity and title documents, used both for underage alcohol access and for more serious fraud such as illicit registrations and identity misuse. Representatives on the panel asked whether penalties are adequate; Keel said penalties deserved review but should be calibrated by lawmakers.
- Election-fraud hotline: Keel said SLED received 252 election-fraud complaints in the prior year; most were minor and only a few required deeper investigation and prosecutor review. He said the hotline is publicized on SLEDs website and is accessible 24 hours.
- Human trafficking, dog fighting and animal rescues: Keel described a unit focused on trafficking and a dog-fighting effort that, since 2022, has seized about 1,000 dogs statewide. In 2024 SLED reported rescuing roughly 205 animals (27 found dead, a small number euthanized); prosecutions included state and federal charges tied to those operations.
- Canine losses and costs: Keel reported two K-9 fatalities (K-9 Rico in Sept. 2023 and K-9 Koba in June 2024) and said replacement/training for a patrol or detection K-9 can range about $12,000 to $20,000 plus training time; SLED conducts much of its own canine training.
- Aviation, bomb squad and dive units: SLED operates four aircraft (rotorcraft) and provides aerial support for search-and-rescue, tactical overwatch, firefighting (Bambi bucket capability) and nuclear-material escorts. The bomb squad and counterterrorism dive unit provide statewide hazardous-ordnance and maritime explosive-response capability.
- Cybersecurity program: Keel described a South Carolina critical-infrastructure cybersecurity program that offers posture reviews, incident response, vulnerability scanning and adversary-emulation testing to roughly 279 partner agencies and 485 cyber liaison officers; partners include National Guard cyber units and federal agencies.
Questions and concerns raised by lawmakers
- Mental-health capacity: Representative Doug Gillum and others asked whether SLEDs workload is affected by shortages of mental-health beds and involuntary-treatment access. Keel and SLED staff said local law enforcement often must hold persons with acute behavioral-health needs for many hours or place them in detention when no mental-health bed is available, producing recurring resource strains on smaller agencies.
- Proliferation of counterfeit IDs and penalties: Members asked about the prevalence of forged IDs and whether penalties for misuse are adequate. Keel said forgery is significant and that more security features and legislative attention to penalties could be appropriate.
- Resource strain and specialization: Members asked whether SLED has become "unwieldy" given many specialized units. Keel said he believes the agencys duties remain law-enforcement related, fit within SLED and are manageable with legislative support and funding; he also emphasized partnerships and that many services are provided at no cost to local agencies.
Votes at the meeting
The subcommittee approved minutes for the Feb. 29, 2024 meeting by roll call. The recorded ayes were Representatives William Bailey, Representative Garvin, Representative Gilliam, Representative Geoff Johnson and Representative Woodin (5 ayes); the motion passed.
Ending
Committee leadership paused further questions after the presentation and scheduled follow-up briefings, including a more detailed review of the forensic laboratory at the panels next meeting. Staff indicated they will provide follow-up answers to members outstanding data requests.
Keel said the agency operates 70 distinct units, has an annual budget of $148,137,395 in total funds (including $52,148,045 in federal and other funds), and about 758 full-time equivalent employees (about 789 employees on the latest payroll when temporary staff were counted). "Everybody in South Carolina deserves equal level of law enforcement service," Keel said, summarizing SLEDs statewide mission.
The committee heard a top-line description of SLEDs investigative services (including the special victims unit, child-fatality investigations and a behavioral-science unit), narcotics and interdiction efforts, alcohol and vehicle-crimes enforcement, counterterrorism and specialized tactical units (SWAT, bomb squad, aviation, bloodhounds), the forensic laboratory, and a statewide critical-infrastructure cybersecurity program that provides no-cost services to local governments and private partners.
Why it matters: Keel framed SLED as a statewide backstop for smaller or rural agencies that lack specialized capabilities. Lawmakers pressed on operational limits and community impacts that flow from shortages or policy gaps, including lack of mental-health beds, rising illicit synthetic drugs, and proliferation of fraudulent identification.
Summary of core details
- Agency role and authority: Keel explained SLEDs statutory duties include investigations of organized and interstate criminal activity, arson, operation of a statewide forensic laboratory, covert narcotics investigations, and operation of the state criminal-justice information system (CJIS). He said SLED provides assistance to local, state and federal partners but does not exercise authority over local law enforcement.
- Size and funding: Keel said SLEDs total-funds budget is $148,137,395 and federal/other funds total $52,148,045; the agency reported roughly 758 FTEs (about 91 federal-funded FTEs and 666 state FTEs by Keels count). Keel said many federal grant dollars are pass-through funds to local agencies.
- Investigative services: The division handles violent-crime investigations, officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, official-misconduct and public-corruption probes, and maintains units for vulnerable-adult abuse, child fatality, forensic art, behavioral science (threat assessments, profiling and cold-case assistance), and state grand-jury support.
- Licensing and specialized services: SLED licenses polygraph examiners, performs background reviews tied to alcohol licensing (but does not issue licenses), conducts election-fraud intake via a hotline, and maintains victim-advocate resources for investigations that SLED leads.
- Narcotics interdiction and fentanyl: Keel described parcel-interdiction work with private carriers and federal partners. He cited national figures from 2023 reported by the DEA (80,000,000 fentanyl-laced pills seized and 12,000 pounds of fentanyl) and said SLED seizures in that year included 4,927 grams (about 10 pounds) of fentanyl in partial interdiction operations. Keel emphasized the lethal potency of fentanyl and linked the volume of illicit drugs to border and precursor-chemical supply issues.
- Emerging product enforcement: Keel said SLED is seeing widespread availability of infused hemp/THC products (including synthetic derivatives such as delta-8 and delta-10) that often test above the legal hemp threshold and raised questions about the absence of age limits for purchase. He said the forensic laboratory is working to analyze these products.
- Fraud and document forgery: Keel said SLED encounters high-quality fraudulent identity and title documents, used both for underage alcohol access and for more serious fraud such as illicit registrations and identity misuse. Representatives on the panel asked whether penalties are adequate; Keel said penalties deserved review but should be calibrated by lawmakers.
- Election-fraud hotline: Keel said SLED received 252 election-fraud complaints in the prior year; most were minor and only a few required deeper investigation and prosecutor review. He said the hotline is publicized on SLEDs website and is accessible 24 hours.
- Human trafficking, dog fighting and animal rescues: Keel described a unit focused on trafficking and a dog-fighting effort that, since 2022, has seized about 1,000 dogs statewide. In 2024 SLED reported rescuing roughly 205 animals (27 found dead, a small number euthanized); prosecutions included state and federal charges tied to those operations.
- Canine losses and costs: Keel reported two K-9 fatalities (K-9 Rico in Sept. 2023 and K-9 Koba in June 2024) and said replacement/training for a patrol or detection K-9 can range about $12,000 to $20,000 plus training time; SLED conducts much of its own canine training.
- Aviation, bomb squad and dive units: SLED operates four aircraft (rotorcraft) and provides aerial support for search-and-rescue, tactical overwatch, firefighting (Bambi bucket capability) and nuclear-material escorts. The bomb squad and counterterrorism dive unit provide statewide hazardous-ordnance and maritime explosive-response capability.
- Cybersecurity program: Keel described a South Carolina critical-infrastructure cybersecurity program that offers posture reviews, incident response, vulnerability scanning and adversary-emulation testing to roughly 279 partner agencies and 485 cyber liaison officers; partners include National Guard cyber units and federal agencies.
Questions and concerns raised by lawmakers
- Mental-health capacity: Representative Doug Gillum and others asked whether SLEDs workload is affected by shortages of mental-health beds and involuntary-treatment access. Keel and SLED staff said local law enforcement often must hold persons with acute behavioral-health needs for many hours or place them in detention when no mental-health bed is available, producing recurring resource strains on smaller agencies.
- Proliferation of counterfeit IDs and penalties: Members asked about the prevalence of forged IDs and whether penalties for misuse are adequate. Keel said forgery is significant and that more security features and legislative attention to penalties could be appropriate.
- Resource strain and specialization: Members asked whether SLED has become "unwieldy" given many specialized units. Keel said he believes the agencys duties remain law-enforcement related, fit within SLED and are manageable with legislative support and funding; he also emphasized partnerships and that many services are provided at no cost to local agencies.
Votes at the meeting
The subcommittee approved minutes for the Feb. 29, 2024 meeting by roll call. The recorded ayes were Representatives William Bailey, Representative Garvin, Representative Gilliam, Representative Geoff Johnson and Representative Woodin (5 ayes); the motion passed.
Ending
Committee leadership paused further questions after the presentation and scheduled follow-up briefings, including a more detailed review of the forensic laboratory at the panels next meeting. Staff indicated they will provide follow-up answers to members outstanding data requests.
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