Woods gets initial OK to be S.C.'s Public Safety director

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COLUMBIA (AP) — A small group of South Carolina senators Wednesday approved the governor's nomination of a nearly lifelong member of the Highway Patrol to lead the state Department of Public Safety.
The subcommittee's OK means Robert Woods IV's nomination will now go before the full Senate Judiciary Committee.
Gov. Henry McMaster named Woods interim director of the agency that oversees the Highway Patrol and Statehouse security a year ago after the previous nominee withdrew. By December, the governor convinced Woods to seek the job on a more permanent basis.
Woods said he was reluctant at first but remembered the trooper he met when he was 8 years old and how dignified, professional and brave he seemed. He realized he could now help others troopers reach that vision.
"This is my chance to develop them and give them a chance to succeed," Woods said.
Senators questioned Woods about low pay for troopers and low morale. Woods said he is again asking to raise starting pay for troopers if lawmakers will put it in the budget and said he knows what it feels like to be a young trooper and wonder if your concerns are important.
Less than 20% of troopers are Black and there are even fewer women. Woods promised to work to recruit more minorities and also try to increase the number of officers on the road from 800 to about 1,000.
Woods has worked for the agency for 29 years, except for a brief stint as a Charleston police officer early in his career, rising to a major overseeing the Highway Patrol's administration before being tapped as interim director.