MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – With the help of Governor McMaster, the City of Myrtle Beach is putting more officers on the street until the end of the summer starting this weekend, after several shootings last weekend.
News13 did see a few Myrtle Beach Police cars driving down Ocean Boulevard throughout the afternoon but did not see many officers in uniform stationed there. The governor said there would be several undercover officers in Myrtle Beach, but residents and tourists said they haven’t seen a significant difference during the day.
Myrtle Beach Police Spokesperson Lt. Joey Crosby said the police presence in the city would look a lot more like it does Memorial Day weekend, all summer long. “What we’ve done is increase our visibility by asking the state to assist us with additional personnel, as well as our law enforcement partners around this community which will be coming in to assist us this weekend and every weekend until Labor Day,” said Lt. Crosby.
However, some residents say this Saturday looks like any other weekend in Myrtle Beach, including this woman who lives by 4th Avenue North, where a shooting was caught on video last weekend. “I’m out here all night long, all day and I haven’t seen anything different. I thought I’d see security or something, and nothing. I didn’t see anything.”
She wouldn’t give us her name, but she says she won’t feel safe until she sees more officers on the streets. “I have an 18-year-old son who works out here at night time and I feel like he’s not safe out here. If I don’t hear from him every 30 minutes, I’m scared that something happened to him,” she said.
Governor McMaster did not say exactly how many officers he was sending to Myrtle Beach, but Lt. Crosby confirmed to News13 on Saturday that there will be more officers on patrol during the hours police usually see more violence. The shooting that injured seven people one week ago happened just after midnight. While officers may not be out in droves this afternoon, the scene on Ocean Blvd could change greatly when the sun goes down. “Officers will be able to respond and address a situation. If they need additional personnel there’ll be additional officers available to respond to a situation,” said Lt. Crosby.
The extra officers are just one part of the city’s plan to cut down crime. The city has also installed barricades to keep pedestrians from spilling into the street. There are electronic message boards on Ocean Boulevard reminding people of the city’s camera system. On Tuesday, city council will also discuss moving up the juvenile curfew from 1 AM to midnight or earlier.
