Phil Riley began his career as a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper from 1985 to1989, leaving the patrol to earn a Bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina. With the creation of the Department of Public Safety in 1993, Riley was hired to work in the Office of Highway Safety, later being named its Director in 2008. Following a merger in 2012, Riley became the Director of the newly created Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs. He briefly retired in 2019 but returned to the role in 2020.

Under Riley’s leadership, OHSJP administers approximately $80 million in federal and state grant programs annually; houses and analyzes traffic crash data; coordinates several statewide traffic enforcement and educational campaigns and initiatives; oversees the SC Law Enforcement Network program and the SC Collision and Ticket Tracking System initiative; and coordinates several statewide committees and ceremonies. OHSJP also provides administrative oversight for the SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame.

Riley graduated from the Certified Public Manager program in 2009.