Myrtle Beach police planning to take diversity training going into next year’s Memorial Day weekend

Myrtle Beach Chief Warren Gall said he plans to take advantage of free cultural professionalism and sensitivity training that the U.S. Department of Justice offered during a law enforcement summit held this week.

Gall said Myrtle Beach police officers participated in the training offered through the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service in the early 2000s, but said it wouldn’t hurt to have a refresher.

“There’s an opportunity for training,” Gall said. “That way we can make sure officers ... continue to be professional and continue to serve [residents and tourists] well. So there are opportunities for additional training, especially with CRS.”

More than 80 police officers from across the country gathered in Myrtle Beach for a summit Gall organized to discuss best practices for handling unsanctioned special events in their cities and towns similar to Atlantic Beach Bikefest during Memorial Day weekend along the Grand Strand – which turned deadly this year.

Three people were killed and seven were injured in eight shootings along Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach on Memorial Day weekend, prompting the city and other municipalities on the Grand Strand to take steps to make next year safer.

Thomas Battles, southeast region IV director for CRS, said they are considered the “peacemakers” of the Justice Department.

“And our Congressional mandate is that we are to provide services to communities that are in conflict – or have the potential to be in conflict – due to the perception, I repeat, perception of discrimination based on race, color or national origin,” said Walter Atkinson, senior conciliation specialist with CRS.

He said their jurisdiction also now includes incidents against people based on their gender, gender identity, sexual, orientation, religion or disability.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Capt. Jeff Estes stressed the importance of making sure that officers are trained to be able to interact with festival attendees who may be of a different race or ethnicity.

“Not only do officers have to be [visible in crowds], the right kind of officers have to be there,” Estes said. “If you know you have an officer who can’t communicate well with someone who doesn't look like them don't put them out there in the middle of where the action is. ... But you should be training these officers to be able to handle those situation.”

Bikefest began in the early 1980s in Atlantic Beach – which was the only area along the Grand Strand black people were allowed on the beach during segregation – as an event for the Carolina Knight Riders Motorcycle Club.

Over the years, the event has grown to draw more than 300,000 people at times, most of whom spill out of the four-block town of Atlantic Beach and into other parts of the Grand Strand.

Myrtle Beach has released initial pieces of a plan it has to get the weekend under control, including re-establishing an emergency lane on Ocean Boulevard and designating one-way traffic on the Boulevard from 29th Avenue North heading south to Kings Highway.

The city also plans to use a 40-mile loop to route drivers on Ocean Boulevard out of the city between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Memorial Day weekend, heading south toward Surfside Beach, through Socastee and then toward North Myrtle Beach.

Members of other law enforcement agencies questioned the city’s ability to find the manpower to operate a 40-mile loop. Daytona Beach police Capt. Lance Blanchette said it takes about 200 officers to man a 7-mile loop through their downtown.

Gall stressed that the 40-mile loop was not all through an entertainment district – about half of Myrtle Beach’s loop would be on state highway – though he said use of the loop may not be set in stone.

“This is the first blush at the plan and there are some things that are going to have to be fine tuned,” Gall said.

Several law enforcement agencies – ranging from the small town of Tybee Island, Ga., to Miami – presented best practices Monday and Tuesday for the unsanctioned special events that occur in their areas that are similar to what Myrtle Beach deals with from the overflow from Bikefest.

The city is responsible for the cost of the summit, held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center Sunday through Tuesday, which spokesman Mark Kruea said will be minimal. There was no charge for use of the city’s convention center, meals were sponsored by the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and other local businesses, and attendees were responsible for their own travel and lodging.

During the two days of presentations, agencies emphasized the importance of having a highly visible police presence, communicating with other agencies and with the community, and using social media not only to know what’s going on in the area but also to share information with the public.

“We’re doing a lot of things that were talked about [during the summit] and have been doing that for years,” Gall said.

This story was originally published September 24, 2014 at 12:06 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach police planning to take diversity training going into next year’s Memorial Day weekend."