Officer​ ​Raeford​ ​Davis​ ​(Fmr.)
North​ ​Charleston​ ​Police​ ​Department
Charleston,​ ​SC

Raeford​ ​Davis​ ​served​ ​the​ ​City​ ​of​ ​North​ ​Charleston​ ​police​ ​department
for​ ​six​ ​years,​ ​including​ ​four​ ​years​ ​as​ ​a​ ​patrol​ ​officer​ ​and​ ​two​ ​as​ ​a​ ​special
victims​ ​unit​ ​detective.​ ​At​ ​the​ ​time,​ ​North​ ​Charleston​ ​was​ ​ranked​ ​the
8th​ ​most​ ​dangerous​ ​city​ ​in​ ​America.​ ​Before​ ​becoming​ ​a​ ​police​ ​officer,
he​ ​served​ ​in​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States​ ​Coast​ ​Guard​ ​Reserves.

Davis​ ​realized​ ​the​ ​underground​ ​market​ ​created​ ​by​ ​drug​ ​prohibition​ ​has
led​ ​to​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of​ ​negative​ ​unforeseen​ ​consequences.​ ​This​ ​realization
came​ ​to​ ​him​ ​while​ ​patrolling​ ​a​ ​notorious​ ​hotbed​ ​of​ ​illicit​ ​activity
nick-named​ ​"4-way".​ ​There​ ​he​ ​saw​ ​kids​ ​being​ ​recruited​ ​by​ ​older​ ​gang​ ​members​ ​to​ ​sell​ ​drugs,​ ​knowing
full​ ​well​ ​what​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​danger​ ​that​ ​put​ ​them​ ​in.​ ​Officer​ ​Davis​ ​understood​ ​that​ ​so​ ​long​ ​as​ ​a​ ​demand​ ​for
drugs​ ​persisted,​ ​there​ ​would​ ​be​ ​a​ ​supply.​ ​So​ ​long​ ​as​ ​that​ ​supply​ ​remains​ ​illegal,​ ​children​ ​will​ ​continue​ ​to
be​ ​exploited​ ​by​ ​criminals.

Davis​ ​graduated​ ​from​ ​Charleston​ ​Southern​ ​University​ ​with​ ​a​ ​B.S.​ ​in​ ​Criminal​ ​Justice.​ ​He​ ​left​ ​policing​ ​in
2007,​ ​after​ ​being​ ​injured​ ​in​ ​the​ ​line​ ​of​ ​duty.​ ​He​ ​now​ ​lives​ ​in​ ​Charleston.