SCDNR officers inducted into South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame

COLUMBIA — Two retired South Carolina Department of Natural Resources law enforcement officers, Staff Sgt. Lee “Skeet” Mills Jr. and Staff Sgt. Francis Mitchum, were inducted Wednesday, Oct. 28, into the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame in recognition of their extraordinary service and lasting contributions to law enforcement in South Carolina.

With careers spanning nearly four decades, Mills and Mitchum were more than dedicated law enforcement officers. They were pioneers who helped establish SCDNR’s Aquatic Investigations and Recovery Team in 1977 and worked side by side to transform it into one of the nation’s premier law enforcement dive programs. Having built a legacy together through decades of service, leadership and friendship, it is only fitting that these two men receive this prestigious honor together.

Throughout their careers, Mills and Mitchum played instrumental roles in some of South Carolina’s most significant underwater investigations and recovery operations, including the recovery of the Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley, the Lake Keowee cofferdam collapse and investigations involving Susan Smith, Pee Wee Gaskins and Larry Gene Bell. Their work brought answers to families, recovered critical evidence and supported law enforcement agencies statewide.

Mills, who began his career in 1974, logged more than 3,400 dives and helped recover 174 victims. As the team's senior dive training officer, he developed safety procedures and established a South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy-approved underwater law enforcement investigations course, helping set a new standard for specialized dive training.

Mitchum, who also began his career in 1974, served as the A.I.R. Team coordinator until his retirement in 2013. His leadership helped ensure the team had the equipment, training and operational readiness needed to carry out some of the most challenging and dangerous assignments in law enforcement. Together, the two trained generations of divers and strengthened underwater investigative capabilities for agencies throughout South Carolina.

Their contributions extended beyond underwater investigations. Both played key roles in keeping waterways safe, including clearing navigational channels on Lake Marion and the Santee River after Hurricane Hugo.

While their accomplishments are remarkable, their greatest legacy may be the people they trained, the lives they touched and the foundation they built for those who continue this important work today.

“We are incredibly proud of Skeet and Francis and their decades of unwavering dedication to service. Together, they established a tradition of excellence that extends far beyond SCDNR and has greatly benefited the law enforcement profession throughout South Carolina. Their extraordinary contributions and lasting influence make them truly deserving of this prestigious honor,” said SCDNR Law Enforcement Deputy Director Chisholm Frampton.

The legacy of Mills and Mitchum lives on through the A.I.R. Team they helped build, the officers they mentored and the countless lives they touched throughout their careers. Their induction into the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame ensures that their pioneering work and commitment to serving others will be remembered for generations to come.