Cayce Police Chief resigns from teaching position

CAYCE, SC — The City of Cayce announced Wednesday that Police Chief Chris Cowan will resign later this month to join the staff of the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law after nearly three years at the helm of the department.

Cowan said he looks forward to serving law enforcement in a new way.

“The university received a grant to create a program of excellence in policing and public safety. (That includes) professional development and leadership development. So I’ll be part of a team they’re building to develop programs that will improve the profession,” Cowan said.

Chief Cowan described his close ties to law enforcement in the Midlands.

“You know, I was with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department for 29 years. I had the honor and privilege of working for Sheriff Leon Lott and working with what I believe are some of the best law enforcement professionals in the country. It was a great honor to be chief of police. It was a great honor to serve the citizens. Cayce is a great place to live, work and play,” Cowan said.

Under Cowan, Cayce transformed his public safety department into a standalone police department and invested in new technologies and crime-fighting tools.

When asked what he was most proud of, Chief Cowan answered without hesitation.

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“I’m proud of how this department handled the murder of (Cayce Police Corporal) Drew Barr. We have a great relationship with our Chamber of Commerce and they created the ‘Raising the Barr Award’ which is truly the embodiment of who Drew was. Drew’s legacy will live on forever and his legacy was just that: raising the bar. Drew was a firefighter, an EMT and a police officer. Drew was shot in the line of duty in 2017. He made a full recovery. He returned to work. He dedicated his life to the community and then gave it up in 2022 in the line of duty,” Cowan said.

Cowan said the hardest part about not wearing the badge every day is the people he leaves behind.

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“The hardest thing is going to be not working with the great people here. We just have some really great people who are passionate about policing and who are passionate about the community. They’ve just done an outstanding job of building proactive policing programs. (I’m) just super proud of the team. But I’m also going to continue to work with law enforcement across the state. It still gives me the opportunity to do that, to continue to help and serve. I’m just going to serve in a different capacity,” Cowan explained.

Former Cayce Public Safety Director and current Mayor pro tempore Tim James released a statement praising Cowan’s goals for the department.

“Chief Cowan has launched several initiatives, both personal and professional, with the goal of setting a standard for crime detection, investigation and prevention. That goal has been well achieved and the decline in crime rates is testament to it,” James said.

Regarding Police Chief Cowan’s successor, the City of Cayce said City Manager Tracy Hegler will announce an interim police chief shortly as the city begins the search for Cowan’s successor.

Chief Cowan joined the Cayce Police Department in September 2021. His last day of work will be July 17.