Mr. Koin,
The Governor’s Office forwarded your email to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety for a reply because the Highway Patrol is one of the law enforcement
divisions overseen by SCDPS.
Making our state’s roads and highways as safe as possible is, and has been, the overarching goal of SCDPS and the Highway Patrol. Your concern over the traffic violations
cited is commendable and is the reason the *47 system was activated in the 1990s. Such actions do aid the Patrol in carrying out its mission on a daily basis.
Through the decades since its inception, *47 program has proven to be highly effective in notifying the Patrol, as well as local law enforcement agencies, of potentially
dangerous and/or erratic driving behaviors. Such behaviors pose a direct serious threat not only to the motorists in the vehicle displaying reckless conduct, but anyone else in the immediate vicinity.
When a motorist dials *HP, the call is routed to the closest DPS dispatch center in correlation with the caller’s area. Once the information is received it is passed
along to the Patrol for response. The problem, which arises at this point, is the location of the call in relation to the availability of a Trooper to respond in that immediate area.
Please continue to report highway problems and encourage others to do so as we all strive to make South Carolina safer.
Sincerely,
Sid Gaulden
South Carolina Department of Public Safety
10311 Wilson Boulevard
Blythewood, South Carolina 29016
803-896-8409 (office)
803-600-8119 (cell)