FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2023

Hartsville Appoints Interim Police Chief

Media Contact: Michelle Byers Brown, Director of Tourism & Communications/Public Information Officer                                        843.799.7584 (cell) / 843.917.0584 (office) or Michelle.Brown@HartsvilleSC.gov

Hartsville, SC: Hartsville City Manager, Daniel Moore, today announced the appointment of Chief Byron Snellgrove as Interim Chief of the Hartsville Police Department. In response Moore said, “We are pleased to welcome aboard Chief Snellgrove to assist us while we finalize our search for our next Police Chief.  Chief Snellgrove has decades’ worth of experience in policing and has already begun to make a positive difference in our staff.  We look forward to what he can offer us in his time here and for his assistance in securing our new Police Chief.”

Chief Snellgrove officially started his position on May 8, 2023. During his first week with the Department, he has already begun improving communications within the Department and with City Hall, working to reorganize the personnel to better serve the citizens, started a new recruiting program to fill Department vacancies, and created a mentoring system for new supervisors.  He will oversee the department’s Field Operations Division, Investigations Division, and the ROS Division.

Prior to coming to the Hartsville Police Department, Snellgrove worked in law enforcement for over 37 years, beginning his career with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department in 1986 as a Deputy Sheriff.  He has spent time serving with the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Narcotics Unit, The University of South Carolina Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and was the Director of the Cayce Department of Public Safety until his retirement in January 2022. Most recently Snellgrove has served as an Advisor for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Council along with being a keynote speaker for International Law Enforcement Conferences. Also, Snellgrove works with Midlands Technical College in the Police Department Accreditation Program and serves on their Criminal Justice Advisory Board.  In 2021 Governor Henry McMaster presented Chief Snellgrove with the Order of the Palmetto, which is the highest honor that the State bestows upon a civilian.