Mayor: North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess to resign

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey told News 2 on Thursday morning that Chief Reggie Burgess will resign in May.

Burgess, who marked five years as the department’s leader in January, was named police chief in 2018 after taking over for Eddie Driggers when he became special assistant to the mayor.

A native of North Charleston, Burgess grew up in Union Heights and Liberty Hill, two historical neighborhoods. He graduated from Bonds Wilson / North Charleston High School in 1984 and went on to attend Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.

According to the city’s website, Burgess decided on a career in law enforcement at NCPD in 1989. Starting out as a corporal in 1993, he rose through the ranks, served in various capacities, and was eventually named assistant police chief in 2013.

“My first promotion happened in 1992-1993,” Chief Burgess said during a Jan. 11 interview. “I got promoted to corporal. And when I got promoted to corporal, I’m a college kid, so when they promoted me to corporal, I didn’t know what in the world that was.”

A focus for the police chief has always been what he calls “community policing.”

“I’ve evolved into the person that I think that I need to be,” he said. “A person that cares about folks, a person that’s willing to listen to people, and a person that’s willing to step up to deal with issues instead of running away from them.”

Burgess married his high school sweetheart and former Bonds Wilson / North Charleston High 1984 Homecoming Queen, Tracy Burgess,” according to a bio posted to the city’s website. “They are the proud parents of Reggie Burgess II and Kristen Burgess,” the website noted.

But what is next for the North Charleston chief? Burgess recently hinted at a possible run for mayor of North Charleston during an interview with News 2 earlier this year. Burgess said he would consider the run if the city’s longtime mayor, Keith Summey, did not seek reelection.

“If the citizens of North Charleston want me to be the mayor, and Mayor Keith Summey does not run, Reggie Burgess will run,” he said.

Summey later announced he would not run for the office again; however, Burgess has not publicly said if he intends to seek that office.

Burgess is the North Charleston Police Department’s ninth police chief since the city was incorporated in 1972.

His resignation, according to Mayor Summey, would be effective May 1.