A former South Carolina trooper caught on video kicking a suspect in the head has pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge.

Some good news out of South Carolina: 2008 was a less-deadly year for drivers, with the number of traffic fatalities lower than they’ve been in more than a decade. Law enforcement says there’s a good reason why. WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe explains.

The head of South Carolina’s public safety department credits a sharp decline in traffic deaths to an increase in people buckling up and more troopers on patrol.  According to the agency, 894 people died in traffic fatalities in 2008, as of midnight Tuesday. Numbers for New Year’s Eve weren’t
yet available. That compares to 1,077 deaths in 2007. Traffic fatalities last hovered around 900 in 1995.

Hard to believe, but 2009 is almost here. That means on Wednesday night, while many of us break out the party hats, others will be watching the roads closely to make sure no one drops the ball. News Channel 6’s Joy Howe has more.

SCDPS, local agencies kick off Christmas/New Year’s DUI campaigns. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) and local law enforcement agencies statewide announced plans Thursday to combine efforts to combat impaired driving during the Sober or Slammer! Christmas/New Year’s DUI crackdown, from December 12 to January 1.

State budget cuts that have already occurred and future cuts next year could start affecting your safety on South Carolina’s roads and highways. The Highway Patrol graduated 36 new state troopers Friday, but a smaller class that was supposed to start training in January has been canceled and Public Safety director Mark Keel says he does not expect there to be any new troopers hired next year because of the budget cuts. WJBF News Channel 6’s Capitol reporter, Robert Kittle, has more.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety announces a preliminary number of 14 people being killed on South Carolina highways during the 106-hour Thanksgiving holiday. The time frame ran from Wednesday, November 26, at 6 p.m. until Sunday, November 30, at midnight.

The leader of the South Carolina Highway Patrol says dealing with budget cuts have kept him from hiring a new commander for the force. Spokesman Sid Gaulden told The Greenville News that Public Safety Department Director Mark Keel has received at least a half-dozen applications for the job, some from within the patrol.

Traffic deaths are down nearly 17 percent so far this year in South Carolina.

Some are going by land, others by air, and some are staying put. Many say the economy is what’s keeping them close to home, and say the only thing they plan to spend this holiday…is time with family. Count on Joy Howe for the story.

Lower gas prices expected to make Thanksgiving travel busy in South Carolina.

An accident in Aiken County has left one person dead. Coroner Tim Carlton says 42-year-old Paula Phillips was pronounced dead at her home, at approximately 4:15 p.m., on Wednesday afternoon. Witnesses say that Phillips’ 13-year-old son was moving a car in the family’s driveway, so he and some friends could play basketball, when he stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake, as his mother was standing in front of the vehicle guiding the son.

A South Carolina state trooper who bragged about a crash that sent a fleeing suspect flying over the hood of his cruiser goes on trial this week. Lance Cpl. Steve Garren is accused of using unreasonable force and depriving Marvin Grant of his civil rights in the crash, which was captured on the patrol car’s dashboard video camera. Garren is white; Grant is black. The case is drawing scrutiny from leaders in the black community.

We have received word from the South Carolina Highway Patrol of a deadly accident on Highway 278 and Boggy Gut Road near Highway 19.