Beaufort Police hire former Bluffton chief, who resigned last year, to be its second in command

Stephenie Price, former police chief in Bluffton who resigned last year after a tenure marked by controversy, has been hired to be the second in command at the Beaufort Police Department.

Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray confirmed Wednesday that the job of deputy chief was offered to Price and accepted.

As deputy chief, Price will be paid $100,000 annually, Beaufort Police Chief Dale McDorman said. The position had been open for at least six months since the retirement of the former deputy chief, Daryl Gruel. The job listing was posted a little over two weeks ago and received about 20 applicants, and four were interviewed, McDorman said.

When asked whether Price’s previous time as chief in Bluffton, where 16 police officers resigned during her tenure, was a concern in hiring her, City Manager Scott Marshall said the city “can’t operate on rumors, only facts.”

“Facts we know about Stephenie is that she is a well-qualified candidate for this position and we are fortunate to hire her,” Marshall said.

McDorman said her duties will include putting more emphasis on officer wellness and improving officers’ work environment, creating programs that can help officers decompress after traumatic calls, and improving benefits.

In Bluffton, Price had focused on mental health in the community and created a mental health advocate, making Bluffton one of the few departments in the region to have such a position.

“What I know of Stephenie Price is that she is very passionate about employees and officer wellness,” McDorman said. “As an organization, we can take great strides in that realm. She thinks outside the box in recruiting and is very passionate and professional.”

Recently, Price was one of six candidates considered for the job of police chief in Lakewood, Washington.

Efforts to reach Price for comment were unsuccessful.

Price spent 21 years in the Kansas City Police Department, starting as a patrol officer and working her way up to internal affairs, narcotics and vice team, training division and fiscal services unit before becoming the assistant chief in Savannah, Georgia.

Price’s time in Bluffton

Price, who gave a 30-day notice of her resignation as head of the Bluffton Police Department in August, came to the area in October 2020, making her the fourth police chief in Bluffton in six years. She gave no reason for her departure at the time and has not commented since. She told Bluffton Town Manager Stephen Steese in a letter that she “truly enjoyed being Chief of Police for the Town of Bluffton and getting to know the employees and the community.”

Price’s less than two years at the helm of the department saw the resignation of about one-fourth of the department’s rank-and-file. At least 16 sworn officers left in Price’s first 13 months as chief. In defense of the slew of resignations, Price proclaimed the issue of retention in police departments nationwide was to blame.

The Bluffton Police Department had a revolving door, with Price in 2020 becoming the fourth chief hired in four years.

Bluffton named its new chief, Joe Babkiewicz, last month. Babkiewicz had been with the Bluffton Police Department for 13 years before resigning in 2021 after being demoted two ranks by Price. Neither Steese nor Babkiewicz would comment on the demotion, but the hiring of Babkiewicz was seen as statement on how Bluffton’s top leaders felt about Price and her judgment.

At the time of Babkiewicz’s demotion, Price told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that it was due to “deficient judgment and decision making” and a “culmination of things.” She would not explain further.

Despite a nationwide search that drew 75 applicants, Bluffton chose someone it knew and was comfortable with. Steese praised Babkiewicz’s relationships and knowledge of the community.

At the time of her resignation, Steese called Price a “highly trained officer who was invested in policing best practices.”

Bluffton’s Mayor Lisa Sulka found the mass resignations in the department “concerning,” according to previous reporting by the newspapers.

Cpl. Bill Bates, a former Bluffton officer who acted as a go-between for officers who had resigned and the Town Council, compiled a list of complaints about the department’s command staff. He said those in charge cared little to “find out what is wrong and how things can be made better.” The resignations, according to Bates, boiled down to “failed leadership.”

When presented with Bates’ list in July 2021, Price told the newspapers she spoke with her officers, who responded with “he (Bates) does not speak for us.”