Patrol
The Patrol Division of the North Myrtle Beach Police Department consists of two shifts of officers. Each shift contains 1 lieutenant, 3 sergeants, 3 corporals, and 24 officers. The shifts are broken up into 3 squads (Day, Swing, Night), each squad working a 12-hour shift. Patrol officers work an average of 15 days a month utilizing the Pitman Schedule.
Some of the responsibilities of the Patrol Division include handling calls for service, incident reports, traffic control/enforcement, crime scene management, initial investigations, accident investigations, and public assists. The patrol division works 24/7/365 to make sure the citizens and tourists of North Myrtle Beach are safe, and property is secure.
Within the Patrol Division there are several specialized teams that enhance the divisions’ ability to perform their duties. The officers that work in these specialties are provided advanced training and equipment to carry out their assignments. These teams include K-9 handlers, traffic motor officers, mountain bicycle team, crime scene technicians, and field training officers. Click on the links below to find out more about each of our specialty teams.
Specialized Units
Crime Scene Technicians
These officers work within the Uniform Patrol Division. They are trained and equipped to gather a wide variety of evidence in criminal investigations including latent fingerprints and other trace evidence.
K-9
The Department of Public Safety operates three active K-9 Teams. In addition to routine patrol, these teams conduct search operations and assist other agencies with multi-jurisdictional investigations.
Traffic
The Traffic Unit is responsible for promoting safe driving habits, deterring aggressive driving behavior, enforcing DUI laws and general traffic safety duties in the City of North Myrtle Beach. Traffic Officers also perform collision investigation and reconstruction and child car seat installation. Our Traffic Officers operate a fleet of Harley Davidson Electra Glide motorcycles, as well as a speed measurement trailer and traffic counters.
For more information on the patrol division contact Lt. Mike Swarthout at 843-280-5626 or Lt. Tom Bruce at 843-281-3858.