North Myrtle Beach’s city manager’s bodycam, worn at police chief’s idea, was never active
North Myrtle Beach city manager Mike Mahaney never activated a bodycam he wore to a Feb. 24 economic development event, but donned it at the suggestion of police chief Dana Crowell, officials told The Sun News.
City spokesman Donald Graham confirmed new details in a Saturday, March 4, email several hours after a published story noting the difficulty in getting the city and its leaders to answer basic questions.
The information was provided nearly a week after a Freedom of Information Act request was made for any footage captured at the midday groundbreaking for a 165,000-square-foot Pepsi plant along Water Tower Road in the Palmetto State Industrial Park.
“We do not share information about when and why we enhance safety protocols. Enhancing safety protocols happens in many ways and is not an unusual action,” Graham said via email March 4.
Legal scholars and policy experts have said Mahaney’s donning of a bodycam is “unusual.”
The North Myrtle Beach city council members were asked on Monday, March 6 in an email to respond and answer the following questions:
Why have you not returned phone calls, texts or emails?
Why does your top official potentially feel unsafe at a public event in your own town?
Do you understand why others may consider this to be a big deal?
Do you feel like you are being transparent with your community and constituents?
Did you know the police chief suggested the city manager wear the bodycam?
Are you aware of safety protocols being needed?
Were safety protocols only for one person?
Were other people put in danger if they did not know extra safety protocols were needed?
Did the city manager get training on how to use a bodycam per city policy?
Did the city manager follow or violate the city policy on bodycams?
If the bodycam was needed for a safety or security reason, why wasn’t it turned on?
What should residents, the business community and other elected officials present take away from enhanced safety protocols provided to the city manager at a groundbreaking?
Mayor Marilyn Hatley emailed the following response at 12:08 p.m. on March 6.
“I regret you feel the City has been unresponsive to you. I’ve taken your calls twice and shared my thoughts on this subject. Our public information officer has replied to your questions several times via email. I have full confidence in our City Police Chief and City Manager to manage public safety decisions. I assure you everyone at the Pepsi Groundbreaking was safe. It was an exciting event for our city that was enjoyed by all. If you have any further questions, I would refer you back to the previous statements from our public information officer.”
Councilman Hank Thomas said March 6, Mahaney told him he planned to wear the bodycam for the groundbreaking.
“Not because he felt threatened or anything but sometimes he gets into a ‘he said, she said’ type of situation, and I can understand that,” Thomas said. “He talks to a lot of people, and there’s a lot of things that can be taken out of context. I guess he thought we would try it. I took it as a non-event. It made sense to me.”
Thomas said he was unaware whether Mahaney followed the city’s audio-visual policy but planned to speak with him Monday afternoon before a regularly scheduled city council meeting.
Thomas has spent more than 20 years in public service, serving on the city’s planning commission from 2001 through 2007 before winning his at-large council seat. He said he’s never felt unsafe while meeting with constituents or attending civic functions.
“We routinely enhance safety protocols according to situational circumstances,” Graham wrote in a Feb. 24 email initially explaining the bodycam’s appearance.
The city has not provided any documentation or rationale on what could have been a safety issue.
“I’m not aware of any threats,” Thomas said. “When I go to council meetings or public events, I’m never worried about anything,” Thomas said. ... “Never have I ever heard city employee or top administrator talk about feeling unsafe or insecure. It hasn’t happened.”
While he understood Mahaney’s use of the bodycam, Thomas acknowledged a slow response by the city’s elected leaders to press inquiries elevated the situation.
“Us not saying anything about it makes it looks like something’s going on,” he said. “I”m not aware of anything that’s going on.”
No other city council members have responded to date to the multiple phone calls, emails and texts asking for information and comments.
The issue was also not discussed at a Monday night city council meeting.
Check out what the North Myrtle Beach bodycam policy states
Police officers in the city of nearly 20,000 must follow a 17-page policy outlining circumstances under which bodycams must be used, along with how any content must be stored.
“Body-worn cameras are an effective law enforcement tool that can reduce violent confrontations and complaints against officers. Body-worn cameras provide additional documentation of police-public encounters and may be an important tool for collecting evidence and maintaining public trust,” the city’s policy states.
In 2015, South Carolina became the first state to require that law enforcement agencies outfit officers with body cameras, but leaves it up to local agencies when it comes to releasing footage.
This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 2:25 PM.