Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune campaigned in 2017 promising to add 10 new police officers to the force over the next 7 years.
Records FOIA’d by MyrtleBeachSC News show that the Myrtle Beach Police force in 2021 remains at the same exact numbers as they were in 2017.
While the numbers have fluctuated over the past 4 years, the net number remains at 192 officers on the force.
In 2017, citing that MBPD was 50 employees short, Mayor Bethune promised to add ten new policemen each year during her first four years in office.
The numbers increased in 2018 to 205 officers, 212 officers were staffed in 2019, and 216 officers in 2020.
However, the number fell to 192 officers in 2021. These are the same MBPD numbers that were on staff when Mayor Bethune won office in 2017.
FBI crime data continues to show Myrtle Beach as the Grand Strand leader in violent crimes, stabbings, and shootings.