COLUMBIA — The South Carolina Department of Public Safety announced today that a new commander has been named for South Carolina Highway Patrol Troop Five following the retirement of Capt. Jo-Nathan Nell. Troop Five Lieutenant Gregory M. Caulder is being promoted to the rank of Captain, effective September 17, 2020, to serve as the new Troop Five commander. Troop Five includes Horry, Florence, Marion, Darlington, Dillon, Georgetown, Marlboro and Williamsburg counties.  

“Capt. Nell is a highly respected leader who has passionately served the Troop Five community, building bridges between the police and the communities we serve in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand areas” said SC Highway Patrol Col. Chris Williamson. “As we make this transition in leadership, we are so pleased to have a Highway Patrol veteran like Capt. Caulder who has devoted his entire career to the Troop Five area. Capt. Caulder is highly motivated to continue the focus on collision and fatality reduction in this heavily traveled area of the state.”   

Nell has served as the area commander for the past 11 years and has been with the Highway Patrol for a total of 35 years. Captain Caulder began his 30-year career with the Highway Patrol in Georgetown County and has been a lieutenant in Troop Five for the past 12 years.

Capt. Caulder and his wife, Tina, have one son, who works at SLED, and they reside in Georgetown. He is a graduate of the School of Police Staff and Command of Northwestern University. He has been a member of the SCHP Drug Interdiction Team and Civil Emergency Response Team.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety includes the Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, Immigration Enforcement Unit and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.