Highway Patrol announces promotions; Warren to lead Region Two

COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Depart-ment of Public Safety has announced that Melvin Warren, a Greeleyville native, will serve as major over the Region Two Highway Patrol, which includes Troops Five, Six and Seven.
Warren was promoted on March 19 to fill one of four key positions in the Highway Patrol division. He previously served as commander of the Pee Dee area Troop Five.

The lieutenant colonel position and three majors’ positions were vacated in February when several members of the command staff opted to take the early retirement incentive. The incentive was offered by the agency to offset budget shortfalls.
Additionally, Col. F.K. Lancaster Jr. was promoted from major to colonel during February, leaving four critical spots to fill.

In addition to Warren, SCDPS Director Mark Keel and Colonel Lancaster also named Michael R. Oliver as the second-in-command. Leroy Taylor, a Richland County native, was appointed to oversee Highway Patrol Troops 1-4. Christopher Madden, a Union native, was appointed to major over the special operations’ units, which will oversee the support functions of the agency.  

Warren has dedicated his entire career to the Pee Dee area where he grew up. He became a trooper in 1985, moved up through the ranks most recently serving as Commander of Troop Five. The Troop was recognized last week as the top Troop in the state for DUI enforcement under Warren’s leadership.

“Major Warren is well-respected in the Pee Dee area both by the troopers and the community,” said Lancaster. “He grew up there and has devoted his Highway Patrol career to the area he knows and loves so well. He is a team player who has been successful in increasing DUI arrests and proactive, fatality reduction programs in that area.”

As troop captain, Warren was responsible for traffic management plans for the bike festivals, Darlington races, as well as emergency evacuation procedures in the event of a hurricane or crisis at the H.B. Robinson Nuclear Facility in Hartsville.

Warren has a master of arts’ degree in counseling from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Coker College.
He and his wife, Angela, have three children, Sharia, Trevon and Nikki. They are members of Jerusalem Baptist Church.

“It means so much to me that the director and colonel have given me this opportunity,” Warren said. “This will be a new and exciting chapter in my career and my family’s life. I am anxious to apply some of the successful models I have used in Troop Five to a broader area of the state to reduce collisions and fatalities.”