Surfside Beach Police Department considers restructuring to recruit and retain police officers

SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – There may be some changes coming soon to the Surfside Beach Police Department.

Acting Police Chief Kenneth Davis on Tuesday night asked the City Council to consider reorganizing the police department to make it easier to recruit and retain staff.

There are currently seven vacancies in the department, four of which are frozen pending review.

During the meeting, documents will be presented showing that recruiting and retaining officers at the Surfside Beach Police Department has become more difficult as other law enforcement agencies in the area offer more money.

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According to the documents, Horry County currently offers its police officers a starting salary of $54,000, which is expected to increase in fiscal year 2025. The starting salary for the Surfside Beach Police Department ranges from $43,783 to $46,824.

A memo from interim Lt. William Mickle to the interim police chief indicates that a Surfside Beach police corporal with 22 years of law enforcement experience is making less than a rookie Myrtle Beach police officer. In fact, the memo states that the Myrtle Beach Police Department recently offered the corporal a $67,000 annual salary if he transferred to their department.

A June 4 memo also indicates that there are no current qualified applicants for the position of police officer on file or in the hiring process.

Documents show that Surfside Beach police have identified two positions that could be eliminated: a captain’s position and a second investigator’s position. Both positions are vacant and could save over $200,000.

The memo said the money could increase the salaries of officers at the rank of sergeant or below by more than $10,000. The starting salary of newly hired officers could rise to $57,000.

The memo also mentions other possible savings, including eliminating a part-time officer position. It also indicates that the current $70,000 overtime budget could be cut once the department is fully staffed.

It is unclear whether a decision on the implementation of the restructuring plan will be made on Tuesday evening.

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