In hiring new police chief, Bluffton sends a message about how it felt about his predecessor

In announcing its new police chief Thursday, the town of Bluffton had much to say about its incoming leader. In making its choice, the town appears to be sending a message about what it thought about its old chief and her judgment.

Joe Babkiewicz will be Bluffton’s third police chief in three years. He’ll replace Stephenie Price, who resigned in August after a tenure that saw mass resignations among rank and file and low morale.

Babkiewicz’s path to the chief’s position is unusual — he was demoted two full ranks by Price, from captain to sergeant, 18 months ago and resigned from the department in late April 2021. Now, with Price out, the town’s first big move is to not only bring Babkiewicz back, but to do so in the top leadership position.

On Friday, no one wanted to talk about the past.

Neither Babkiewicz nor Town Manager Stephen Steese would talk about the reasons for Babkiewicz’s demotion or their thoughts on it. Mayor Lisa Sulka was not available for comment, and Price could not be reached for comment on Babkiewicz’s hire.

Of his relationship with Price, Babkiewicz would say only that “it was a professional relationship like any other police chief that I’ve had. I came in and I worked hard everyday.” Price never gave a reason for her resignation, and the town never offered one. It’s only public statement was a lukewarm acknowledgement she was a “highly trained officer.”

Babkiewicz spent 13 years with the department. At the time of his 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.

The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette asked the town for a copy of Babkiewicz’s personnel record and letter of resignation. Town spokesperson Debbie Szpanka said the newspapers would have to submit a Freedom of Information request.

In an interview Thursday, Babkiewicz said he left the department during a time of great turmoil to spend more time with his daughter before she went off to college, but when the opportunity to become chief presented itself, he couldn’t turn it down.

“It was always a goal of mine to be the chief of police for Bluffton,” he said, emphasizing the word Bluffton. “I had no desire to be a police chief anywhere else.”

Despite a nationwide search that drew 75 applicants, the town chose someone it knew and was comfortable with, a deviation from its hire of Price, a former assistant chief in Savannah and longtime officer in Kansas City. Steese’s comments praise Babkiewicz’s relationships and knowledge of the community and appear to hint those were connections Price never made.

“What came out a lot in the surveys [we did] was having somebody that bought into what Bluffton is,” Steese said. “They could come here, be involved in the community, kind of drink the Kool-Aid of Bluffton, and understand the state of mind that we like to talk about.”

High tension, low morale

Price is now one of six candidates being considered for the job of police chief in Lakewood, Washington, according to the Tacoma News-Tribune.

Her time in the department’s highest position was tumultuous, with 16 sworn officers — about one-fourth of the department’s rank and file — resigning in her first 13 months on the job. She defended her efforts at retention and pointed to a national climate of law enforcement hardship as the reason for officers resigning or retiring.

Sulka found the resignations “very concerning.” But an outgoing officer blamed the turnover on a lack of transparency from Price and a preferential treatment of certain officers, according to previous reporting.

Price declined to say why she was resigning a little less than two years on the job.

“The town has accepted Chief Price’s resignation,” Steese said at the time. “Stephenie Price is a highly trained officer who was invested in policing best practices. The programs she initiated will continue to provide future outcomes for the Bluffton Police Department.”

Babkiewicz said Thursday he hopes to create a culture that fosters higher retention rates in the department. “We are one group, a united group to serve the Town of Bluffton,” he said. “I think as long as you implement that culture and you lead by example, the officers will follow and they’ll buy into it.”

Babkiewicz’s tenure on the job was not without controversy. In early 2017, he led a team of investigators to arrest someone wanted on an outstanding warrant outside of their jurisdiction. The arrest was made in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island — which is the jurisdiction of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office — without properly notifying that agency. Babkiewicz was placed on 90 days probation and reassigned.

On Friday, Sheriff P.J. Tanner recalled the event as a good learning experience for Babkiewicz.

“He didn’t try to give you an excuse or a reason outside of here are the facts and this was what happened. And we move forward from there and I think he learned a lot from it,” Tanner said. “I honestly don’t think that we will have any issues surrounding events like that in the future.”

Tanner said he believes that Bluffton made a “very wise choice” in hiring Babkiewicz to lead the department.

It’s not clear how much of a pay cut Babkiewicz took when he was demoted two ranks by Price. Those records were not immediately available. His starting salary as chief will be $125,000 with a $5,000 increase after six months and another $5,000 raise after a year.

The Massachusetts native has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and master’s in criminal justice and public administration.

During his tenure with the Bluffton Police Department, he worked in various divisions including investigations, patrol, the K-9-unit, internal affairs, special response team, field training, community events and criminal investigations. He completed the FBI National Academy in 2013.

Babkiewicz said he plans to assess the department to see what needs to be changed immediately and what may take more time. Part of that assessment will be hearing what people — both employees of the department and members of the public — have to say. From there he’ll make a strategic plan, he said.