City of Myrtle Beach receives $1.4 million grant to hire police officers

The City of Myrtle Beach will receive a $1.45 million federal grant to hire 10 additional police officers during 2020-21. The Community Policing Services program, or COPS grant, will cover 75 percent of the cost for 10 new police officers during the next three years. A local match of 25 percent is required, and after three years, the city will be responsible for the full cost of the new officers. The officers will continue community-policing strategies in hot spots throughout the city. The grant allows the city to achieve its goal of hiring 10 new police positions per year. This will be the fourth year in a row that the city has added 10 new officers to the department.