Every time a law enforcement officer is sued and the case is settled without merit, it reinforces the dangerous idea that criminals can break the law, resist, flee, and still walk away with a paycheck.
Across South Carolina and the nation, the attorneys representing insurance companies are choosing to settle lawsuits not because the officer acted improperly, but because it is cheaper and more convenient in the short term. The agency itself does not make this decision. These settlements are driven by attorneys whose priority is closing a file, not defending the truth. But this short-term thinking is creating long-term damage.
When officers are doing their jobs lawfully and within policy, and the criminal still gets paid, it kills morale. It emboldens criminals. It encourages more frivolous lawsuits. And it sends a clear message to the public: officers are open targets, and bad behavior is rewarded.
We are already seeing the results. More suspects are fleeing. More lawsuits are being filed. More attorneys are chasing headlines instead of justice. All because the system is signaling that payouts are easier than pushback. This is not justice. This is not accountability. This is a failure to stand up for what is right.
Fortunately, a recent court ruling in Anderson County broke that trend.
In 2020, Anderson Police officers attempted to stop Grayson Mathis Jr. for reckless driving. He fled, initiating a pursuit that tragically ended in a fatal crash. During the chase, Mathis struck and killed a pedestrian, then crashed into a utility pole and overturned. He died at the scene. Despite his clear role in causing the incident, his family sued the Anderson Police Department and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
But this time, the case went to court. And this time, the judge ruled in favor of law enforcement. The court found that it was Mathis’s own negligent decision to flee that caused the fatal crash, not the actions of officers trying to protect the public.
This was the correct ruling, and it should not be the exception. It should be the standard.
Public agency attorneys and elected leaders must take a hard look at how these cases are being handled. It may cost more to defend a few cases, but once criminals and ambulance-chasing attorneys realize it is not a free lunch, they will stop wasting the court’s time and the taxpayers’ money.
Our officers deserve to know that when they do the right thing, they will be backed, not bought off. These quiet settlements may avoid a court date, but they shout weakness to the people watching. That includes every officer, every criminal, and every member of the public trying to understand whose side the system is really on.
Stop rewarding criminal behavior. Start defending those who defend us.
