HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) – Horry County Council is considering investing hundreds of thousands of dollars through a tax increase to hiring new detectives to help deal with a rising gang issue in the county.

Horry County Police report six homicides this year in the Longs area were all gang related.

Authorities say they know of at least 1,500 active gang members throughout the entire county.

Right now, Horry County only has one person dedicated to working gang related crimes.

To handle these numbers, county council may raise taxes to hire more detectives to focus on the growing problem.

“We’ve identified active gang members as young as nine,” said Lieutenant Raul Denis of the Horry County Police Department.

Horry county police identified nearly 50 active gangs operating within the county.

Some are different branches of larger gangs like the Bloods and Crips and police believe fighting between these sects is the reason for most of the homicides this year.

“The activities of gangs, including the criminal activities the incidents of crime on non-gang people, will grow as well and eventually trickle into other areas of the county,” said Lt. Denis.

Denis says gangs are connected to illegal drugs, prostitution, and even human trafficking.

“When gang’s get to the level they’re at right now they don’t go away,” he said.

The Horry County Police Department only has one person dedicated to the gang unit.

That one person maintains a database to track active gang members and the crimes they may be connected to.

‘We’re already behind so let me correct that it’s not that we’re trying to control it so it doesn’t get any bigger, it’s already bigger and it’s outgrown us,” said Lt. Denis.

Now police say they are trying to catch up.

They have asked county council for more gang unit detectives.

Council is considering giving them three.

It would cost more than $283,666.

A tax increase would pay for it.

“That’s not to say that we’re going to be able to stop a process that is already basically rolling downhill,” said Denis.

He says just like crime, gangs are something that will never truly go away, but the extra resources will help handle the problem.

In addition to more gang unit detectives, the tax increase would pay to hire four detectives in the violent crimes unit.

It works alongside the gang unit in certain situations.

Council will hold final reading on the budget next Tuesday.