MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Animal control officers with the Myrtle Beach Police Department are picking up less strays this year after a partnership with the Grand Strand Humane Society.
While the department’s animal control officers still picked up 631 animals from January through October, Officer Steven Trott tells News13, this is less than in years passed because of community outreach and a partnership with the Grand Strand Humane Society.
“It allows the public to bring in stray animals and drop them off so we’ve actually seen that even though our unit has decreased in the number of stray animals that we’ve picked up, it’s still a ton, the Humane Society and the city itself has almost 30% growth as far as drop offs from the public,” Trott explained.
Trott says because they are spending less time picking up stray animals, they have more time to dedicate to criminal investigations. Through October of this year, the department seized 95 animals as a result of a criminal investigation, a number he believes is higher than in the past and will rise to more than 100 before the end of the year.
Officer Trott tells News13, their division of law enforcement works to prevents crime, animal cruelty, dangerous animals and the City as a whole.
“We are ground level officers because animal abuse is a primary precursor to other violent crimes,” Trott says. “We’re talking about child abuse, domestic abuse and elder abuse.”
The department is also working on community outreach to educate children and families about the best way to treat animals and raise pets.
