LORIS, SC (WBTW) – The Horry County Police Department is taking steps to tackle gangs, drugs, and crime by meeting with residents of Loris.

This meeting is part of the continual effort by the police department to deter criminal activity in the area and improve the community. The department acknowledges that changes and lower crime numbers will not happen overnight, but community meetings like the one planned for Tuesday are designed to give neighbors a place to talk about their fears, frustrations, and what seems to be working to protect the community.“It is the goal of our chief to make sure we are listening to what the residents have to say,” said Horry County Police spokesperson Krystal Dotson. “What they want to see in the community, what they’re not seeing in the communities and so we developed this best-practice model so that we can be responsive to the concerns we’ve been hearing.” The police department will talk about crime statistics and trends they are responding to so Loris neighbors have an idea of what to look for and how to protect themselves. The department is also working with Loris community leaders to develop after school programs and recreational options for younger kids to keep them off the streets and avoid having them recruited into crimes or gangs. 

Loris business owners say they are glad to see the police department taking steps to make their community better, as many of them have repeatedly been targets of crime.

“I think the community is aware of the problems, and I think it’s great that the police is being proactive,” said a Loris business owner who did not want to be identified for security reasons. Other local business owners have similar thoughts, especially after some have seen video of people trying to break into their stores.

Dotson said the department is listening to its residents are they are taking action.

“We have increased our visibility with our officers in these troubled or hot spot areas, and that’s something we learned from community forums very similar to [Tuesday’s] town hall meeting, that we need to have an increased presence in certain areas to detour criminal activity from taking place,” reports Dotson.

The town hall meeting takes place Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. at Loris Middle School. Everyone is welcome to attend.