MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Police departments in our area say they’re worried about losing officers to agencies that pay more, like the Highway Patrol.
News13 told you earlier this week that the Myrtle Beach Police Department faces 12 vacancies, and we’ve told you Horry County Police Chief Joseph Hill says it’s like a revolving door with officers leaving there.
Hill has told council members he’s worried his officers will look to make more money with the Highway Patrol.
“Officers are trying to feed their families. They’re going to make that choice to leave just to be able to keep the lights on and make a better life for themselves, and I can’t blame them,” said Hill.
Hill has been talking about pay for his officers since he started.
“My role as chief of police is that I try to keep them in the Horry County Police Department, let them know that we’re a great agency, with great equipment, but I struggle because I can’t change the pay. I can only ask for pay increases, and that’s up for the council and folks to decide,” said Hill.
Myrtle Beach Police Chief Warren Gall says he has the same fear. With 12 vacancies in the department, he can’t afford to lose any more.
“We support our people, as I’m sure Chief Hill does, I know he does. We want the best for them, but we also want them to stay. So, we’re constantly looking at ways to encourage our people, you know, benefits wise, pay wise, and assignment wise in order to stay with the department that you’re with,” said Gall.
Corporal Sonny Collins with South Carolina Highway Patrol says starting salary ranges from $38K to $42K when someone first joins the agency, depending on experience.
An un-certified or class one officer would make about $35K in the Horry County Police Department, $36K in Myrtle Beach, $28K in the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, and only $25K in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Collins says the Highway Patrol implemented a pay increase in 2015 as a recruiting tool.
“We think we’re very competitive with other agencies, and that’s a recruiting tool. That’s something that attracts people to come to our agency. Now, hopefully they have other reasons because of our mission to go out and patrol the highways and save lives, but certainly, pay is an incentive for anyone to join a profession, and hopefully we can stay competitive with that,” said Collins.
Chief Hill says they’ve had officers leave his department to work for Walmart because they would make more money. He says he hasn’t forgotten what he said when he was hired, and he’s pushing for better pay for his officers in the near future.
