Horry County Public Safety Committee Meeting – September 9, 2025
Horry County Public Safety Committee Meeting – September 9, 2025
The Horry County Public Safety Committee met on September 9, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in the County Council Conference Room. Chairman Danny Hardee called the meeting to order, followed by an invocation and pledge of allegiance. The committee unanimously approved the agenda, the minutes from the August 12, 2025 meeting, and several resolutions, including a late-added resolution recognizing the National Day of Remembrance for Homicide Victims. The main discussion centered on a comprehensive update from the Behavioral Services Department, featuring presentations from multiple public safety and treatment programs highlighting significant progress in mental health, substance use, and juvenile services.
Resolutions
- Designating October 5–11, 2025, as Fire Prevention Week – Chief Joey Tanner presented the resolution, emphasizing the 2025 theme “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.” The resolution noted that Horry County Fire Rescue has been a Fire Safe South Carolina Community for four consecutive years and responded to over 200 confirmed structure fires in 2024. The motion passed unanimously.
- Commending Firefighter/EMT-Advanced Marek Kruszewski – Chief Tanner recognized Firefighter Kruszewski for receiving the 2025 Meritorious Action Award from the South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association for rescuing a trapped occupant from a house fire on December 8, 2024. The victim was treated and discharged with an expected full recovery. The motion passed unanimously.
- Designating September as Suicide Prevention Month – Michelle Smith, Behavioral Services Director, presented the resolution. She highlighted that approximately 80 Horry County residents died by suicide in 2024, with the county’s rate higher than the state average. She also noted upcoming awareness events, including International Suicide Remembrance Day (September 10) and a Mental Health Care Fair for county employees on September 26. The motion passed unanimously.
- National Day of Remembrance for Homicide Victims – (Added by motion) The committee added and unanimously approved a resolution recognizing this day, with the police department emphasizing the importance of honoring victims and supporting their families.
Discussion Items
- Behavioral Services Update – Randy Webster (Assistant County Administrator) and Michelle Smith led an extensive update, showcasing the county’s coordinated behavioral health efforts. Key presentations included:
- Next Steps Program (J. Reuben Long Detention Center) – Marcus Rhodes reported that 73 incarcerated individuals are in recovery programs, with a waiting list of 1,380. He described a successful intervention where a woman with serious mental illness was transported to her home in Florence and helped back inside after no family responded.
- Treatment Court (15th Circuit) – Candy Townsend noted that the program is the largest in South Carolina, having accepted 248 new participants in FY 2023–2024 (compared to 4–24 in other circuits). The completion rate was 73%, and 34 clients graduated vs. 7–15 in comparable courts. Over 1,200 clients have graduated since 2005. The court is hiring two part-time peer support specialists.
- Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) – Horry County Police Department – Sergeant Calderwood reported that from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025, the team responded to 4,011 calls, contacted 2,647 individuals at 2,995 addresses, and connected approximately 30% to services. Calls have increased 20% since May 2025, averaging 400 per month. A fifth team member will focus on follow-ups. Success stories included helping a suicidal individual on a highway overpass obtain housing and medical care, and coordinating with the harm reduction team to place a jailed substance user into a 28-day treatment program within hours of release.
- Harm Reduction Team (Horry County Fire Rescue) – Christian Edwards stated that since inception, the team has engaged 1,597 individuals through follow-up, 2,834 through outreach, and distributed 1,682 doses of Narcan. They are averaging 25 individuals per month connected to substance use disorder treatment. A new mobile medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program is being developed to allow paramedics to administer buprenorphine (Suboxone) in the field, pending Schedule 3 authorization for South Carolina paramedics. The team also plans to hire two additional positions and expand prevention education in schools.
- Juvenile Services & Project Lifesaver – Chief Leonhardt introduced a new juvenile services unit focused on crimes against youth, internet crimes against children (ICAC), and the Project Lifesaver program (radio wave tracking for at-risk individuals, already in use by SOS and others). A dedicated investigator is launching this effort, with another officer joining soon.
Department Reports
Committee members noted that written reports from Police, Fire/Rescue, Animal Care Center, Emergency Management, 911, Sheriff’s Office, Detention Center, and EMS Write-Offs were included in their packets. No questions were raised.
Key Outcomes
- All resolutions were approved unanimously.
- The committee expressed strong support for the behavioral services initiatives, with Chairman Hardee and members praising the collaborative, multi-agency approach.
- The next Public Safety Committee meeting is scheduled for October 14, 2025.
- No executive session was held; the meeting adjourned at approximately 11:19 a.m.
Meeting Transcript
Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll please stand Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to live in Oreg County. Dear Father, thank you for this room full of people who were working to uh better society. Your father, we ask for wisdom, patience, guidance. Dear father, please continue to bless our first responders and all those who work to uh take care of us. In your name we pray, amen. Attention to the flag. I pledge of allegiance of the United States of America. One nation under God with liberty and justice for all. No public input. Yes. Review and legit approval agenda content. I'd like to make a motion that we add a resolution recognizing National Day of Remembrance for our homicide victims. Second. And approval of the minutes for August. Well, 2025. So moved. All in favor? All right. Thank you. Motion carried. Chief Town or Designation. Designating October 5th to the 11th. Well, good morning. So we do every year. We look for fire prevention. We come up in October 5th to the 11th this year with a theme of charge into fire safety lithium ion batteries in your home. We know that's a little prevalent thing every day. Councilman, you keep asking about battery disposal. We're working with our community members here in the future of how we dispose of those batteries better. We'll push that out as well too. But it is a big issue for us. Um more things every day, more manufacturing facilities part of use with batteries around, and everybody's home has them now. So that's going to be our theme this year for Parkman. Okay. Excellent. That's it. All right. Motion. So moved. Seconded. Right. All right. The X is a resolution honor of firefighter ENC Merrick Groziski. Um we're going to commend him in front of council in a resolution. Uh he had a life save in December 2024 from a house fire. Uh this life saver result can be recognized by the South County Firefighters Association in 2025, but we're charged award for life saving fire service. And so we're going to bring it before council and do that in the next council meeting. So we'll do that. Excellent. Okay.
openpublica.com