Horry County Police Division requests 13 extra detectives within the house as missing-person instances soar

HORRY COUNTY SC (WBTW) — Missing persons and runaway cases are on the rise in Horry County, according to the police department, prompting a request for 13 more detectives.

So far this year, the department has opened more than 250 missing person and runway cases and expects the number to continue to rise.

The Horry County Police Department currently has 37 detectives, but none specialize specifically in missing persons cases.

“We’re trying to assign a few people to work exclusively on missing persons cases in our investigative division,” HCPD Deputy Chief Kenneth Davis said. “It’s more efficient that way, and we’ll be able to cover more ground with two people doing it full-time.”

Department heads said it takes a major investigative effort to determine if a person is missing or doesn’t want to be found.

The leaders said the addition of more detectives will give them the support they need to do so.

“All we’re getting until we prove otherwise are missing persons cases that come with that moniker, even runaways,” Davis said. “We have a few runway cases that we’re working on, but we’re working on it until we find the person.”

Other detectives worked on business and fraud cases, hiring, narcotics enforcement, the Major Crimes Unit, and the Property Crimes Unit.

“When we bring in detectives, we’re trying to keep up with the crime trends that we’re seeing, and that’s one of the things we’ve been trying to do over the past few years,” Davis said.

Officials said any additions to the budget would not require a tax or millage increase.