Winthrop University names interim police chief

The Winthrop University Police Department is starting the new school year with a new chief.

After 19 years of heading the Winthrop University Police Department, Chief Frank Zebedis retired Aug. 15.

Assistant Chief Ken Scoggins is stepping into his shoes as interim chief of police.

Scoggins has worked at Winthrop University Police Department since 2001. He's been a police officer for 32 years.

"I was the young man that always wanted to be a police officer," he said. "That was my thing."

Scoggins began working for the city of Rock Hill in 1984 in the utilities department.

The day he became a police officer at the Rock Hill Police Department in 1988 was the greatest day in his life, he said.

"It's like living a dream, that's all I can say," Scoggins said.

When Zebedis retired to move to Florida, Scoggins took over the department right before move-in day for Winthrop. His main concern was making it through that busy time, he said.

Now, Scoggins is looking toward the rest of the year. The university is creating a search committee to hire the next chief, and Scoggins has put his name in for consideration.

Scoggins, who attended the FBI National Academy in 2012, a selective 12-week police training program, is confident in his qualifications.

“I hope I will be given the opportunity to continue,” he said. “There are so many wonderful things we're doing here.”

His time at the FBI academy was a phenomenal experience, he said. Scoggins met with law enforcement officers from across the country, and other countries, something that hammered home the importance of police work.

“You leave thinking there's not a whole lot of difference,” he said. “There is a world of separation between us but there's not a whole lot of difference in the job that we do from one country to another because the common denominator is the same. We want to provide safety and security, and the best police services possible.”

This story was originally published September 2, 2017 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Winthrop University names interim police chief."