Myrtle Beach camera project delayed, shooting to wrap by end of January

The Myrtle Beach camera project, initially set to wrap by year’s end, was delayed slightly by excessive rain and installation tweaks and is now shooting for completion by the end of January.

“We’ve gone back and there’s been some adjustments that needed to be made once we put the cameras up. Various elements needed to be tweaked, various angles and the zoom needed to be adjusted,” said Lt. Joey Crosby, Myrtle Beach police spokesman.

The $2.1 million project is at the tail-end of phase three and still at the beginnings of phase four, which involves about 248 cameras being installed to watch over all major intersections throughout Myrtle Beach’s city limits, Crosby said.

While these cameras will be viewing intersections, the data they collect won’t be used for issuing speeding tickets, but will instead keep an eye on traffic, review car crash footage, and any crime incidents, Crosby said.

Permits from the state are needed to add these additional eyes, which takes time, but Crosby said officials are still pleased with the benchmarks they’ve hit with the project, which includes the installation of more than 800 cameras.

Crosby has urged patience with the project, noting its large scale, and said it’s not like outfitting a home or business with cameras because a much wider space is being covered.

During phase one, about 132 cameras went up along Ocean Boulevard and were used successfully to control traffic and watch over the city during various festivals, including Memorial Day weekend, officials said.

Phase two began over the summer and spilled into the fall with about 112 cameras added at beach access points, and hundreds of cameras have been placed along Kings Highway and Myrtle Beach’s backstreets in phase three, which officials took a deeper step back into to make adjustments.

Cameras placed during the project have already helped net suspects in several incidents, including arsons and a shooting, Crosby said.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach camera project delayed, shooting to wrap by end of January."