Public Safety Committee Meeting – March 11, 2025

The Horry County Public Safety Committee met on March 11, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in the County Council Conference Room. The meeting included public input on open burn laws, approval of multiple grant resolutions and a proclamation, and updates on the fifth precinct, the Next Steps re-entry program, harm reduction efforts, and the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Chris Kingrick, a resident of the Burgess community, advocated for strengthening and enforcement of county open burn laws. He reported that his family has documented 22 instances of a neighbor burning despite countywide burn bans, causing smoke intrusion into their home, health issues (headaches, respiratory problems, anxiety), and a waste of emergency resources. He urged the committee to improve communication between agencies and adopt preventative measures, citing ongoing wildfires in Georgetown, Conway, and Carolina Forest. He provided written suggestions and requested a response.

Consent Calendar

The committee approved the following items by unanimous consent (one motion each):

• Approval of the agenda and the minutes from the February 11, 2025 meeting.
• Resolutions presented by Solicitor Jimmy Richardson:
  • Authorizing the Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office to accept a grant for two drug prosecutors and two administrative assistants (total cost $374,199, with a 10% match of $37,419; positions to be absorbed by state funds after three years).
  • Authorizing the Solicitor’s Office to accept a second-year grant for a DUI prosecutor in Georgetown ($130,067, no cost to Georgetown).
  • Authorizing the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit to accept the third and final year of the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program Grant (not to exceed $209,459, no cost to Horry County).
• Proclamation declaring Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 6–12, 2025, in Horry County.
• Resolutions presented by Police Chief Leonhardt:
  • Authorizing the Police Department to submit and accept the Justice Assistance Grant (not to exceed $141,729.05) for continuation of a narcotics death investigator position.
  • Authorizing the Police Department and Sheriff’s Office to submit and accept the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program Grant (not to exceed $253,540.71) to fund two CIT civilian mental health responders (no match required).
  • Authorizing the Police Department to submit and accept the State-Funded School Resource Officers Grant (not to exceed $1,482,186) to fund 10 SRO positions (fully funded, no match).
  • Authorizing the Police Department to submit and accept the Law Enforcement Network Mini-Challenge Grant ($10,000) for traffic safety checkpoints.
  • Authorizing the Police Department to submit and accept the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Grant (not to exceed $231,735.85) for victim advocates.

Discussion Items

• Fifth Precinct Update (Chief Leonhardt): The new fifth precinct will come online by August 26, 2025, with a temporary location at the old Forest Road Fire Station. The new precinct map was distributed. The precinct will increase the number of sectors from 30 to approximately 32–35 across the county, allowing existing precincts to be smaller. The permanent facility at the Central County Coast Complex is expected to be completed later in the fall.

• Next Steps Program Update (Marcus Rhodes): The program addresses opioid, alcohol, and other addictions, and mental health recovery for incarcerated individuals. In 2024, 327 females were evaluated for substance use disorders; 304 left the jail with a release plan. New housing options are being developed for women, which were previously lacking. A success story was shared: “Shelley,” a woman with 55 incarcerations, participated in the program, obtained housing and support, and is now interning as a director for transitional housing. A re-entry simulation is scheduled for April 15, 2025, at the J. Rubin Long Detention Center to help leaders understand the challenges faced by individuals re-entering the community.

• Harm Reduction Update (Ben Lawson): Since November 2023, the program has served over 1,200 individuals. Key outcomes: 1,000 individuals connected to peer and recovery services, 50 adults connected to housing, 26 to employment, 552 safety kits provided, 723 adults given prevention education, over 4,500 individuals instructed on Good Samaritan laws and overdose response. Narcan administrations by field units decreased significantly from 2020 to 2024. Overdose fatalities dropped from 253 in 2023 to 151 in 2024 (a 41% decrease), with 17 additional cases pending. Current projects include a “give one leave one” Narcan kit program on ambulances and fire trucks, and a partnership with Meals on Wheels (all delivery drivers now carry Narcan). Community education efforts include training librarians on Narcan use; a librarian recently used that training to revive an overdose victim before an ambulance arrived. Future plans include working with veterans’ groups and expanding into middle and high schools.

• CIT Update (DC Wyatt): The Crisis Intervention Team has one supervisor and multiple counselors. From April 12 to December 31, 2024 (partial first year), the team responded to over 2,520 call activities, spoke with 1,649 individuals, and connected 31% of them to services. In January 2025 alone, there were 302 contacts with individuals already helped. The need is growing, and the team is strengthening partnerships with the jail, fire department, and other agencies. A breakdown by precinct showed precinct 2 at 39% of contacts (precinct 1 at 16%). The committee requested district-level data.

• Bond Reform (Solicitor Richardson): Solicitor Richardson noted that council members and the delegation have been communicating about bond reform, as police officers often arrest individuals who are released before the officers return. He expressed support for stricter bond conditions to keep dangerous offenders detained.

Key Outcomes

• All resolutions and the proclamation were approved unanimously.
• The committee received updates on the fifth precinct timeline, Next Steps program, harm reduction data, and CIT activities.
• The next Public Safety Committee meeting is scheduled for April 8, 2025.