MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Myrtle Beach Police Department is one of a select group of law enforcement offices to receive funding through the COPS Hiring Program.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Monday that $98,495,397 in grant funding through the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP) will be awarded to 179 law enforcement agencies across the nation. The cash will allow those agencies to hire 802 additional full-time law enforcement officers.
“The COPS grants will result in the hiring of additional officers in Berkeley County, Myrtle Beach, and Spartanburg,” says Beth Drake, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Protecting our communities against violent criminals is paramount and we look forward to continuing these efforts and working closely with our state and local law enforcement partners.”
The City of Myrtle Beach was awarded $1,250,000 in grant funding for the hiring of 10 new officers.
“The officers obtained through the grant will be utilized to respond to calls for service,” explains Captain Joey Crosby with the Myrtle Beach Police Department. “The officers will be assigned to shifts.”
The grant money must go toward new hires, not pay the salaries of current officers, according to the federal guidelines.
The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department was awarded $1,000,000 for eight new officers. The Spartanburg Department of Public Safety received $244,409 which will provide for the hiring of two new officers. Here is a complete list of all recipients of the grant.
