The City of Cayce announced the departure of Cayce Police Chief, Chris Cowan, Wednesday. Cowan served the head of the Cayce Police Department since September of 2021 and is a 30-plus-year law enforcement veteran. Chief Cowan will be  joining the staff at South Carolina’s Joseph F. Rice School of Law.

“We all knew Chief Cowan would only be with us in Cayce for a short time. We are thankful for the impact he made while he was with us: Helping us transition from the Public Safety model to an individual Police Department, all while working with citizens to create safe driving initiatives, furthering dialogues, and connections we have built and creating successes and systems that have an average 2 minute 9 second response time for emergencies. We look forward to continuing to support the women and men of our Police Department as we build upon these successes,” said Mayor Elise Partin.

“Chief Cowan set various initiatives that were both personal and professional, with the goal of setting a benchmark for detecting, investigating, and preventing crime. This goal has been well achieved, and the decrease in crime rates prove it,” stated former Cayce Director of the Department of Public Safety and current Cayce Mayor Pro Tem, Tim James.

Mayor Pro Tem James further stated, “Under Chief Cowan’s leadership, the Department has seen a pay increase for officers, technology and equipment upgrades, senior and student safety programs, award-winning crime prevention programs, traffic safety implementations, professional promotional process, communications with community and citizens, law enforcement reaccreditation and outstanding alliances and relationships with area law enforcement agencies that result in premier mutual aid assistance and cooperation.”

Chief Cowan shared the pride he takes in the team at the Cayce Police Department and for the city in saying, “I love our Cayce team and am proud of the new initiatives we have built. I am thankful for the people of Cayce we serve and have enjoyed being a part of this great community.” Cowan further stated that, “The position at the University is the right opportunity for me and for my family. But I look forward to working with City leaders, our department staff, and our community to see our upcoming events and initiatives come to fruition.”

James is also the President and CEO of the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He said he “Greatly appreciates Chief Cowan’s involvement with the business community. He has grown relationships with Chamber members and other businesses to help mitigate crimes that our businesses face. This is a great opportunity for Chief Cowan. While we are in support of anything that is best for him, we know it will leave a huge void for us.”

City Councilman Byron Thomas stated, “Chief Cowan is a well-respected leader in the law enforcement community, and I am confident he will do amazing things at his new endeavor. The City of Cayce has been blessed to have his service and he will be greatly missed. Thank you, Chief Cowan, for your leadership and for your commitment to serving the people of Cayce.”

An Interim Chief of Police will be announced by the Cayce City Manager, Tracy Hegler, at a later date.

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