Reggie Burgess
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Reggie Burgess | |
|---|---|
| 4th mayor of North Charleston | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Website | https://www.northcharleston.org/government/office_of_the_mayor/index.php |
Reginald L. 'Reggie' Burgess is an American law enforcement official and politician, serving as the 4th mayor of the City of North Charleston, South Carolina. Burgess is the first African-American mayor in the City's history.
Walter Scott killing
Burgess and a younger brother were raised by a single mother in North Charleston.[1]
Burgess served as a police officer for 24 years, becoming chief in 2018,[2][3] the first African-American police chief in the city's history.[4]
In 2019, Governor Henry McMaster nominated Burgess to Director of Public Safety, which would have to be confirmed by the legislature.[5] Burgess accepted and later declined the nomination.[6]
He announced his retirement in 2023.[7]
See also: Killing of Walter Scott
On April 4, 2015, Walter Scott was shot and killed by Michael Thomas Slager, a North Charleston Police Department Officer. At the time, Burgess was North Charleston assistant chief of police.[8] Burgess issued a public apology for the killing.[9][10]
As North Charleston's police chief, Burgess worked to improve police accountability and community relations after the Scott killing.[11][12][13][14][15]