NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – After more than a year without a police chief, the City of North Myrtle Beach took a step forward in the process, and they are now advertising for the position.
Former chief Phil Webster retired in June 2017, and the city said they haven’t been in a hurry to fill the position. “We had a lot of things on our plate, both at city hall and at the police department, and out in the community,” said Pat Dowling with the City of North Myrtle Beach. “We wanted to sort of focus on those, get them resolved, and then when we had time, to get our search for a new chief.”
Dowling said they are taking their time in this process because they want to find someone who is the right fit for the department and the residents. “We want a unique individual,” said Dowling. “Someone who’s able to communicate openly and effectively within the department, but also go out into the community and meet with taxpayers and other stakeholders.”
He said the department and the community need someone who can also go out and get feedback on how to better serve the people living and visiting in North Myrtle Beach.
“We’ve got a very busy community that grows from 15,600 people year round, a permanent population, to a visitor population of 100,000 people a day from June through Labor Day,” said Dowling. “So that person has to be able to bridge those gaps and understand everything that comes with that, which is crime, prevention.”
Since the former chief retired, the public safety director, Jay Fernandez has been serving both roles. The new police chief will work jointly with the fire chief and report to the public safety director. Right now, Dowling said the salary range for this position will depend on the experience and qualifications of the candidate. To view the full job posting, click here.
