Photos: Simpsonville Welcomes its New Police Chief

Several dozen people came out Tuesday evening to City Hall to welcome Keith Grounsell as Simpsonville's new police chief.

Grounsell, who replaces retired Chief Charles Reece, edged out the city's assistant police chief, Colleen O'Neil, late last month to become the city's top cop in a vote by City Council.

Treated to refreshments and cake supplied by Grounsell's parents — owners of Gretchen's ABS Cakes in Mauldin — the crowd featured not only family, friends, and assorted well-wishers, but also City Council members, law enforcement officials including Greenville Sheriff Steve Loftis, as well as local politicians, such as state Rep. Garry Smith.

"I think he'll do a fantastic job as chief of Simpsonville," Loftis told Patch. "He worked with the Sheriff's Office…. He has an excellent background. He's going to do a wonderful job."

For more on Grounsell's background, CLICK HERE.

Grounsell officially started work Sept. 18. Since then, he has been busy moving into his office, getting acclimated, meeting with members of the community, and striving to get closely acquainted with his officers in a bid to solidify his regime.

As chief, Grounsell said he wants to focus on two primary areas — community policing and drug enforcement.

"We've got 19,000 citizens in the city of Simpsonville, and we've only got 39 sworn police officers," he said. "We know that without the citizens making calls and contacting us, we couldn't do our jobs."

As for drug enforcement, "90 percent of all crime in some way, shape, or form, I would say, is linked to drugs," he said. "I think most agencies should concentrate a little harder on drug enforcement."

He added: "This is a great day for the Simpsonville community, and it's a great day for me and my family. I live in the Simpsonville area. I'm invested in the community. If there's a problem that they're having, it hits at home with me also. I have a wife and three young kids in this community, so I'm not going to turn the other cheek. I'm going to work to take care of [things] as best I can."