‘Chief Davis, he cares’: Retired Orangeburg chief earns place in Hall of Fame

Their example is evident in his dedication to not just upholding legal principles, but the overall wellbeing of his community.

The teachings of the late Willis and Pearline Davis have culminated in their son’s induction into the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame for meritorious service.

Davis was honored during a ceremony held Wednesday at the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy gymnasium at 5400 Broad River Road in Columbia.

‘I’m overjoyed’

Davis said he was honored and humbled by his induction.

“I’m just a little boy from Wagener. My parents did teach me a lot of humility, so I’m humbled by it, and I’m thankful that people would recognize your effort in your profession,” he said.

The Newberry College graduate joined the Aiken Department of Public Safety, rising to the rank of captain. He served in the department until 1993, when he was named chief of police in Orangeburg.

A year later, he successfully merged the fire and police departments into one unit as the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety.

Davis assisted the department in gaining accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in 2003, becoming one of just three South Carolina departments to meet more than 400 national and international standards.

“I was given an opportunity over in Aiken to start a career. I was nurtured there and had a number of people believe in me and give me an opportunity to go in different directions in things that hadn’t necessarily been done before,” Davis said.

He remembered continuing his career in Orangeburg, where he was appointed chief of police at the tender age of 33.

“I was fortunate that people like Mayor Martin Cheatham and the staff there, including the city manager, had confidence in me to give me an opportunity. Then there’s the people. I was asked to come in and restructure Public Safety. That was a pretty tumultuous time,” Davis said.

Under his guidance, Orangeburg’s Insurance Services Office rating improved, reducing fire risk and cutting insurance costs for residents living in the area.

Davis was also a catalyst in moving Orangeburg from being ranked number one in violent crime in the state to 38th.

He gave credit to the people who bought into the vision.

“I thought the community of Orangeburg was very understanding of our efforts and sort of encouraged some of our efforts, particularly in the area of community policing,” he said.

Davis retired from ODPS in 2014 after 21 years of service.

In addition to his work in law enforcement and public safety, Davis is no stranger to reaching out to his community. For example, he co-founded the Simba/Rites of Passage Program in Aiken, which assists young African American males transitioning from boys to men.

He was also the organizer/chairman of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee in Aiken, which zeroed in on the needs of the youth in Aiken County. Davis also worked with Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Aiken, as well as the Boys and Girls Club of Orangeburg. He is a member of the Orangeburg Rotary Club.

“A number of people partnered with us and were instrumental in us being successful in a whole lot of areas. We obviously weren’t perfect, but we tried to work hard. I’m proud, humbled, thankful and appreciative of the support,” Davis said.

“That reduction in crime took place not solely on being able to arrest offenders. It took place with community support, the court system and everything else. It wasn’t anything that just Public Safety did. It was a community effort,” he said.

Davis said his membership on a number of boards at that time “helped guide some resources toward us to help.”

Davis’ numerous professional memberships include, but are not limited to, the following: lifetime member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the S.C. Police Chief’s Association. He’s former president and lifetime member of the S.C. Law Enforcement Officers’ Association.

He received the Alpha Phi Alpha Drum Major Award for his mentoring and other community service.

Davis was named the Omega Psi Phi Citizen of the Year in 1995 and was the first recipient of the Newberry College Alumni Distinguished Service Award. He was also a recipient of the South Atlantic Conference Distinguished Alumni Award.

Davis is married to Channette and the proud father of three children: Wendell Marquis, Marvin and Deandra.

He reflects on the support of his family, including his parents, and God.

“My dad was a schoolteacher and a football coach. My dad had a high level of vision in terms of how to work with people. I found out a long time ago about his dedication to students. He was described as a very good teacher and coach, and I have not found anybody in my life that was more compassionate about people than my mother,” Davis said.

“I’m overjoyed with this award,” he said.

Ultimately, he wants God to be pleased with his work.

“God’s been good to me. I realize it. Hopefully he’s got a few other things for me to do,” Davis said.

‘An exceptional individual’

SCLEOA Executive Director John E. “JJ” Jones said Davis was nominated for his honor by SCLEOA President James Allen, chief of the Timmonsville Police Department, and Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green, a past SCLEOA president.

“They recognized what Chief Davis did for all those years down in Aiken and in Orangeburg – primarily in Orangeburg – and it was kind of a consensus that he was a no-brainer for us. He’s just such a fine human being,” Jones said.

“Chief Davis, he cares. He puts his whole life into what he believes in. He’s a family man, he’s a godly man. He cared about the public safety of the people in Orangeburg, and it showed,” Jones said.

He continued, “Chief Davis built a team because he cared. He got them accredited and kept that accreditation for years and was even an accreditation manager because he knew that it would make them a better department. Whatever he put his mind to, he accomplished.”

“Wendell Davis is an example of what law enforcement leaders should be. We should strive to be as good as him. I’m glad that he was able to hit this milestone and be recognized for the job that he did because he certainly deserves it,” Jones said.

Green said, “Chief Davis was a mentor to young chiefs, especially the minority police chiefs. When I met him, he asked me when I started my law enforcement career, and when I said it was in 1993, he said, ‘Man, I was a chief in 1993 when you came along.’”

“When I became a chief, all the chiefs looked up to Wendell Davis because he had the ‘it’ factor. We knew if you were going to be successful, you had to follow Chief Davis from how he had policies set up, from how he had his department set up and even how he dressed to different functions,” he said.

Green said Davis also shared information that helped elevate others, including himself.

“Sometimes people would withhold information from you because they know information is power, but he would give up his information to make sure you were ahead. He was a very unselfish person when it came to sharing his knowledge in law enforcement,” he said.

Green continued, “Chief Davis is just an exceptional individual upholding the values of justice and integrity in his community service to the Orangeburg community and also the Aiken community. We’re proud of him.”