Black cop who helped KKK guy just doing his job

DPS Director Leroy Smith put out this release yesterday in response to the way a picture of him helping a KKK member overcome by the heat Saturday went viral:

STATEMENT FROM DIRECTOR LEROY SMITH REGARDING PHOTO FROM RALLY AT STATEHOUSE

COLUMBIA, SC — The South Carolina Department of Public Safety Director Leroy Smith issues the following statement regarding the photo that was taken by Rob Godfrey, deputy chief of staff for South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, at the July 18 KKK rally on the Statehouse grounds:

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Background:

DirectorSmith2012

Leroy Smith

South Carolina Department of Public Safety (www.scdps.gov) Director Leroy Smith was working at the rally in uniform, assisting his own troopers and officers and working alongside multiple agencies. He was helping with crowd control when one of the KKK participants asked him to help two men who were participating in the KKK rally and who appeared to be suffering from heat-related illnesses. In the photo: He, along with Columbia Fire Department Chief Aubrey D. Jenkins, was helping one of the men up the stairs to the Statehouse so he could be treated by Richland County EMS.

Quote from Director Smith:

“I have been somewhat surprised by how this photo has taken off and gone viral around the world. Even though I serve as the director of this agency, I consider myself like every other officer who was out there braving the heat on Saturday to preserve and protect. The photo that was captured just happened to be of me.

Our men and women in uniform are on the front lines every day helping people – regardless of the person’s skin color, nationality or beliefs. As law enforcement officers, service is at the heart of what we do. I believe this photo captures who we are in South Carolina and represents what law enforcement is all about. I am proud to serve this great State, and I hope this photo will be a catalyst for people to work to overcome some of the hatred and violence we have seen in our country in recent weeks.”

Indeed, he was just going his job.

Which takes me to the point that I frequently make here that shouldn’t have to be made: This is normal. Day in and day out, public employees — the kinds of people that government-haters deride as bureaucrats or feeders at the public trough — do their jobs of serving the public, without it being a big deal.

This is the norm. Which is why a public servant such as Leroy Smith can’t help feeling a bit bemused when people make a big deal over it.

8 thoughts on “Black cop who helped KKK guy just doing his job”

  1. Karen Pearson

    Yes. He was doing his job well, and I’m glad someone noticed. Our police have been getting awfully bad press lately as the result of poor responses by individual police members, so it’s good to see something positive.

  2. Barry

    “Day in and day out, public employees — the kinds of people that government-haters deride as bureaucrats or feeders at the public trough — do their jobs of serving the public, without it being a big deal.”

    So true. When I worked for the SC Dept of Labor, I was always impressed by the professional level of the field employees.

    Field employees face all types of people, and usually receive the blunt (and sometimes personal threats) of their opinions on how we should be doing our jobs – even though they rarely understood our role, or our job.

    It’s par for the course and it’s what employees like that do every day.

  3. bud

    Barry you’re wrong. State employees are dumb, lazy morons who sit around all day drinking coffee and shooting the bull. They are in no way worthy of breathing the same air that the hard-working, upstanding, generous corporate CEOs or inherited-wealth billionaires who do all the work and barely make 400 times what a typical over-paid state employee makes. How do I know? Just ask any Ayn Rand disciple.

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      Yeah, I saw that before! That cop wasn’t just doing his job, though — that was more like going above and beyond the call of booty… I mean duty.

  5. Jeff

    The cop read his horoscope that morning and it said to “Be kind to a weak, old, white dummy today”.

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