Published: Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008 / Updated: Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008 12:58 AM

Winthrop grad tapped for SLED chief

Lloyd will be first black to hold post as state's top police officer

A Winthrop University graduate was tapped to become the state's top cop Friday, according a news release from Gov. Mark Sanford's office.

U.S. Attorney Reggie Lloyd was nominated by Sanford to become chief of the State Law Enforcement Division. Lloyd would fill the post vacated by longtime chief Robert Stewart in November.

Lloyd, 40, graduated from Winthrop in 1989 and in 2006 became the first black lawyer to be named permanent U.S. attorney for South Carolina since Reconstruction. He also has served on the Winthrop board of trustees.

A former circuit court judge, Lloyd would become just the third SLED chief in the past 50 years and the first African-American to hold the post, according to the release.

"The role of SLED chief is all about having a personal commitment to justice and upholding the law, and those are qualities I think Reggie has exemplified both in his capacity as a judge and as a U.S. attorney," Sanford said in the release. "As an administration, we've also long held the belief that there is a real value in bringing someone from outside an agency in, because that brings with it new ideas and new perspectives on running that agency."

Lloyd can begin work once he's confirmed by the state Senate, the release stated.

"I want to thank Gov. Sanford for the honor of his nomination to be the Director of SLED, which is an agency that is critical to the battle against crime in South Carolina, as well as to the improvement and protection of the quality of life and economic opportunity that the governor has placed as a priority for our state," Lloyd was quoted as saying in the release. "I respect and look forward to the confirmation process that will follow and will work hard to be worthy of Gov. Sanford's nomination."