South Carolina / Department of Public Safety / Law Enforcement Officer III
Job-title file
Enforce laws and maintain public safety — patrol, respond to incidents, investigate crimes, and make arrests.
407 employees hold this title in Department of Public Safety. Median total compensation for the role is $72,044, below the department median of $73,444.
What the records show
How total compensation varies among the 407 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in South Carolina, the median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — about 12,930 people — is $58,070. Department of Public Safety pays a median base salary of $76,946 for this role, 33% above that figure — about the 87th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers across every employer in South Carolina, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Public Safety’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — about 670,520 people — is $76,210. Department of Public Safety’s median base salary is in line withthat national figure, about the 51st percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the South Carolina range relative to the national one.
Computed over the 975 of 976 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.
Median total compensation for this role at Department of Public Safety is $76,946, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
Law Enforcement Officer III is held in 33 South Carolina departments. In Department of Public Safety, the median of $72,044 ranks #22 of 33.
Median total compensation for the Law Enforcement Officer III role in other South Carolinadepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 3 jurisdictions. In South Carolina, the median of $74,011 ranks #1 of 3. See Law Enforcement Officer across all of South Carolina →
Median total compensation for comparable Law Enforcement Officerroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.
Record list
Page 2
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
John Valdario holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Megan Johnson is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Nicholas Miller works as a Law Enforcement Officer III for Department of Public Safety. Nicholas earned $77,222 in 2026.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Ronald Deal is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
David Knox is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
James Hicks holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Charles Lowder holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, James Simpson serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Robert Gilstrap is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
At Department of Public Safety, Tony Bell serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Eric Thompson works as a Law Enforcement Officer III for Department of Public Safety. Eric earned $77,222 in 2026.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Michael Hydrick is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Frank Cherry holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, David Hutto serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Ellery Goodwin holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, John Phillips serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, William Tuten serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Kristopher Rogerson holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, Christopher Epting serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, Donald Turner serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Jack Parrish holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, Sally Farmer serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Tony Gardner works as a Law Enforcement Officer III for Department of Public Safety. Tony earned $77,222 in 2026.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Robert Barton is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, Christopher Lee serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Whittney Benton is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
William Mcinville works as a Law Enforcement Officer III for Department of Public Safety. William earned $77,222 in 2026.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, John Standard serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Gregory Shropshire works as a Law Enforcement Officer III for Department of Public Safety. Gregory earned $77,222 in 2026.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Earl Williams Iii works as a Law Enforcement Officer III for Department of Public Safety. Earl earned $77,222 in 2026.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Drake Johnson works as a Law Enforcement Officer III for Department of Public Safety. Drake earned $77,222 in 2026.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Ralph Evans is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
At Department of Public Safety, Jeffrey Peavy serves as a Law Enforcement Officer III. Their 2026 pay totaled $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Earl Cain holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Steffonie Cockerill holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Donald Weatherwalks is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Matthew Coffin holds the role of Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. In 2026, their total compensation was $77,222.
Law Enforcement Officer III/Department of Public Safety
Robert Fox is a Law Enforcement Officer III at Department of Public Safety. 2026 total compensation came to $77,222.