LORIS, SC (WBTW) – The Interim Police Chief for the Loris Police Department is working on a five-year plan to help reduce drugs and crime, and it starts by keeping more officers in the department.
Interim Chief Gary Buley said he wants to look at giving officers a pay raise to stay competitive with other agencies and keep the officers they have. He also said he’s looking to give a bonus every five years to officers as an incentive. “People may come here and then leave for different agencies, so giving them a bonus every five years helps with retention,” said Buley.
Right now, he said they only have one officer during the day in addition to the chief and lieutenant. However, neither of those positions work on weekends, so during that time, they may have an officer by themselves. Because of this, Buley said he wants to look at adding more officers to the department. He’s looking to add at least two and that would cost about $56,000 per officer for training, equipment, and a salary of $33,298. Buley also said it’s important to be have more staff because the county and city lines run close together and they are sometimes assiting Horry County Police with nearby calls as well.
Buley said reducing crime starts with officers being in the community, so he wants to get more involved with schools and local businesses over the next few years. “When officers are here for a while, and they stay here, they build better relationships with the community, and that can help cut down on the crime,” said Buley.
His five-year plan has been presented to city council, and he said they are discussing the department’s needs for the upcoming budget year, beginning July 1.
