Pine Ridge, SC (WLTX) - Nicholas Scott was sworn in as the Police Chief for Pine Ridge in Lexington County Tuesday night.
The hiring comes more than a month after the town suspended all law enforcement operations.
"This town is just such a beautiful town, beautiful people. I'm happy to be here and I'm going to provide the town of Pine Ridge with the level of service I believe that they should have," Scott said.
Scott said he plans to evaluate current policies, procedures and look to hire more officers.
In March the town suspended all police operations after one full time officer was let go and others resigned, including the interim police chief. Mayor Robert Wells would not comment on the officer who was let go, but said he is looking forward to working with Scott.
"Our new police chief has got a lot of neighborhood plans that he's wanting to work at and basically be able to be more neighborhood oriented and to get out and to know the people that live here," he said.
Scott is a graduate of Spring Valley High School and Benedict College. He's also spent the last ten years with the Columbia Police Department.
"I want other agencies to be able to look at the town of Pine Ridge and be an example of what an agency should be," Scott said.
Scott is now the only full-time employee on the force. There are also three part-time officers.