Gov. Mark Sanford and state lawmakers took their first steps Tuesday toward addressing failings in South Carolina's system that have allowed problem police officers to patrol the streets.

The House approved an amendment to add $500,000 to the state budget to revive a psychological screening program to ensure would-be cops are prepared for rigors of police work. That service fell victim to budget cuts two years ago.

Sanford also called on members of his Cabinet to find ways to keep troubled cops out of the profession. He appointed Director of Public Safety James Schweitzer to lead a committee that will search for solutions.

These actions came in the wake of The Post and Courier's three-part series "Tarnished Badges," which concluded March 7. The series explained how failings in state and local government enable some police officers to keep their badges despite histories of misconduct and criminal behavior.

"There are concerns from that story that need to be addressed, and I think we are ready to do that," Schweitzer said.

He and other Cabinet members said the root of the problem is in the state's reporting system.

Police chiefs and sheriffs aren't reporting problem cops because they are fearful of lawsuits and other repercussions, they said.

"Bad officers are being passed around until it's so bad they are getting indicted," Schweitzer said. "It would be much better if there is an effective system in place."

The makeup of the new committee has not been decided, and there is no set timetable for it to complete its task.

The state Criminal Justice Academy, which is responsible for keeping tabs on South Carolina's 14,000 law enforcement officers, also has formed an internal committee that is reviewing its policies and procedures for tracking officers, academy director William Neill said.

He said the panel is ready to help the governor's committee with its mission.

Neill said academy officials are pleased with the House's decision to restore money for mental screenings for officers.

If the measure wins Senate approval as well, it would probably take 90 days or so to get the screening program up and running, he said.

The screening unit closed in April 2003, creating a gap in the state's efforts to weed out police applicants who lack the mental stability the profession demands.

The unit's $500,000 annual budget was an easy target because state law does not require psychological testing for police applicants. Neill said a requirement could be in place by the end of the year.

A majority of states already mandate such screening for their police officers. Fewer than 100 of South Carolina's 280 police agencies were administering the tests as part of their application process, a 2001 academy survey found.

Academy officials said they don't know how many of the more than 1,000 new officers who join the ranks of South Carolina police departments and sheriff's offices each year go untested.

Andrew Ryan, the academy's psychologist between 1992 and 1999, said the screenings are "an absolute necessity to ensure the safety of the public." During his tenure at the academy, about 30 percent of police applicants screened turned up "questionable" for law enforcement work," he said.

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, a sponsor of the amendment, said the screening program is needed, but it won't solve the state's problems with troubled officers.

She said law enforcement officials also must share information about bad seeds.

"This business of a thin blue line, we've got to forget about that when it comes to rogue cops," she said.

South Carolina has a shield law holding law enforcement agencies harmless from litigation for reporting misconduct, but many remain fearful of lawsuits, protective of their own and reluctant to share information.

Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon said the state needs to properly train police chiefs and sheriffs in personnel laws so they won't be afraid of sharing information about problem officers.

Many officials simply defer to their lawyers, who advise them to say nothing at all, he said.

"Until we do something about that and provide these officials with the ability to talk with prospective employers in other agencies, we're going to continue to have these types of problems," he said.