Regional police training center could speed up process

Ten new Horry County police officers, sworn in last week, will further shrink manpower shortages in the Horry County Police Department. But Horry’s gain means a loss for cities such as Loris, Marion and Myrtle Beach.

Nine of the ten new officers – all certified, experienced and ready to start their assignments here – were attracted by a $1,000 incentive plan.

Horry Police Chief Joseph Hill notes the department offered the incentive proposed by Interim Chief Lance Winburn prior to Hill’s taking over in September. The incentives also go to officers who recommended the new ones. Two of the ten have experience in the city of Marion; two worked in Loris. The others come from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the municipalities of Myrtle Beach, Pamplico, Andrews, Society Hill and Nichols.

Across South Carolina and the United States, law enforcement agencies have vacancies. A variety of factors are at play, including intense scrutiny, especially in places where there are problems with community relations. Veteran officers retire and some younger ones decide a career in law enforcement is not for them. It goes without saying that society expects and demands much from law enforcement officers. Other officers take jobs elsewhere for more competitive pay.

Departments along the Grand Strand are blessed by their location. Recruiting officers to North Myrtle Beach, for example, is not as challenging as it might be in Columbia or Spartanburg in the western reaches of the state. It’s worth noting, though, that the city of Myrtle Beach once had hundreds of applicants for the police department and the number of applicants dropped considerably.

Recruitment and hiring of high quality men and women doesn’t immediately put them on the streets. While new hires may patrol with experienced officers for a period of time, recruits must be trained and certified at the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia. It’s the only such place in the state, and the next available academy course is March 2017.

Area police chiefs, including Hill, would like to have an alternative to the one central academy. Most states have regional training centers for police officers, often at community or technical colleges, but the national trend is to move back to centralized training.

S.C. Sen. Greg Hembree of Little River feels law enforcement training needs attention to allow certified officers to get out more quickly on the streets. A strong factor in a central academy is that it guarantees high standards for all officers. The S.C. Criminal Justice Academy is a model that many other states have looked at as they look at strengthening training.

An alternative to only one training site in the state might be a satellite academy, perhaps at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. A second site, still part of the SCCJA, would free up slots in Columbia for other agencies, including the Highway Patrol. Another approach might be to expand the academy in Columbia and enhance the salaries of instructors, who have been hired away as deputy chiefs.

Certainly, high standards and quality training must be maintained for all law enforcement officers. The legislature, which starts in January, should make a priority of speeding up training and certification.

This story was originally published October 29, 2016 at 7:55 AM with the headline "Regional police training center could speed up process."