Myrtle Beach has hundreds of cameras. Can you get a speeding ticket from one of them?
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If you’re driving in Myrtle Beach, the police are likely recording you.
Myrtle Beach has hundreds of cameras throughout the city as part of its Real Time Crime system.
The camera system offers 1,600 camera views citywide, as well license plate readers, making your chances of being caught on camera pretty high.
The cameras are used to help officers on the road, reduce crime and assist if a vehicle accident happens, according to Randolph Angotti, police public information officer. Its basic premise is to solve and deter crime.
But with so many ways for police to monitor your activity, could you possibly receive a ticket for speeding or running a red light through the cameras?
South Carolina doesn’t allow automated road safety cameras, often called red-light or speed cameras. Such cameras are used to photograph a driver and their license plate, sending tickets to that person’s registered address.
However, Myrtle Beach’s camera system is not used to write such tickets, Angotti said. While the system can be used to assist in car accidents, Angotti said the cameras are not used to catch a person speeding or running a red light.
Real Time Crime Center began in 2015 with 600 cameras and 15 license plate readers at a cost of $3.5 million. It’s unclear how many cameras the city currently has. In 2019, police reported that they had 800 cameras.
The installation of cameras, which has happened in cities across the nation, has raised concerns over the blurring of public and private surveillance.
Market Common residents noticed in recent months that cameras had been placed in certain areas. It created such a stir that city officials made a Facebook post to explain what the cameras were. The city doesn’t normally announce where the cameras are being installed for security purposes.
“There are more than 60 identified locations in The Market Common for future RTC expansion that will add an additional 240 camera views. These locations are planned for installation in 2025 and beyond,” the post said.
Angotti said Real Time Crime Center analysts monitor the cameras, which can be used for events that are happening in real time. The cameras allow police to follow a vehicle, run the person’s license plate and locate the driver within hours or even minutes, according to Meredith Denari, director of communications and creative services for the city of Myrtle Beach.
However, analysts do not answer emergency calls like dispatchers, Denari said by email.
Analysts work with officers who can contact the center if video needs to be reviewed as part of an investigation.
“They’re there for the safety of our residents and visitors,” Denari said. “If the Real Time Crime system were not making a difference, it would not continue to grow the rate that it has.”
