4 Bluffton police officers placed on paid leave pending SLED investigation of misconduct

Four officers from the Bluffton Police Department have been placed on paid administrative leave as the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) conducts an investigation into possible misconduct.

Bluffton’s Chief of Police Joseph Babkiewicz initiated the investigation May 9, he told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette on Friday morning. The chief would not provide additional details about the allegations being investigated.

The officers on leave include Capt. Scott Chandler, leader of the operations division; public information officer Sgt. Bonifacio Perez; Sgt. Matthew Ferrelli and Thomas Rauchfuss, the department’s fleet manager and quartermaster.

Chandler served as the Bluffton Police Department’s interim chief for brief periods in 2018 and 2020, filling the position’s vacancies for about nine months total.

As a statewide police agency, SLED investigates any allegations of wrongdoing within other law enforcement agencies across South Carolina. They ensure county and municipal departments follow policing standards, including after any officer-involved shooting.

Bluffton mayor Larry Toomer said he did not know the details of the investigation and would not comment while the case was still active. Still, he commended the town government’s readiness to keep employees accountable when necessary.

“We run a tight ship,” Toomer said Friday afternoon. “If there’s a complaint of wrongdoing or violation of protocol or policy, we handle it in a very professional manner. That’s the right way; it’s the only way.”

SLED spokesperson Renée Wunderlich confirmed the agency’s involvement in the case Friday afternoon but would not further specify the allegations of misconduct.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misidentified one of the officers placed on leave. The name has been corrected to Sgt. Matthew Ferrelli.