Horry County Police response times nearly double the national standard
Eleven minutes.
More time than it takes to do a load of laundry or sign up for a Netflix account. Nearly the amount of time needed to save money on car insurance. That is how long it takes Horry County police — on average — to arrive at the most critical 911 calls.
“We’re only minutes away when seconds count,” Chief Joe Hill said, repeating a police idiom. “That means we’re already behind the eight ball.”
Hill didn’t mince words or sugar-coat his department’s response times — he knows they have to get better. It takes 11 minutes on average for top priority calls, such as robberies or shootings, and 14 minutes for all calls.
That outpaces other local communities, such as Conway and Myrtle Beach, which have response times around 5 minutes and 4 minutes 52 seconds, respectively. Nationwide police response times are about 6 minutes. Horry County is much larger than local municipalities, but Hill knows the county police must cut its response times in half.
“I need to get that down to the six- to eight-minute mark,” he said. “The only way to do that is to provide more officers on the street.”
As Hill discusses response times, he quickly points to a precinct map in the corner of his office and notes that all four could be cut in half. The county police’s current divisions are:
- West - stretch the width of the county and includes Aynor and Loris
- East - The ocean to Longs on the east side of the county, including North Myrtle Beach
- South - The Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach areas
- Central - Conway and the county to the west.
“We need officers to be a presence in the community,” Hill said.
When driving through Socastee, Carolina Forest and other communities, Hill said he doesn’t see enough officers on the street. There is a calming presence, not one of dread, when residents see a patrol officer in their neighborhood, Hill said.
“I need to increase visibility,” the chief said.
That is why Hill wants to hire 100 more officers over the next five years. The department is working with the county council to try and find funding in the budget, or external options, to increase the agency’s size, Hill said.
Horry County Council Chair Johnny Garner, and council members Dennis DiSabato, Danny Hardee and Al Allen all did not return phone calls seeking comment for this report and Hill’s efforts.
Adding more officers is “critical,” Hill said. More officers will help prevent and deter crime in the community.
If police receive a call, but there are only two officers in a sector and one is transporting someone to jail, Hill said officers have to come in from farther away. Local traffic congestion also plays a part in those delays.
Hill said adding more officers will not only help response times, but officer safety as well.
The department also wants to open a Carolina Forest precinct, which takes about 50 officers and six civilian employees to operate. It will take about three years to recruit all the officers to staff the precinct, Hill said.
“We are all about it,” Hill said. “We want to put a precinct in there.”
