Horry County police chief shares first responders’ mental health services progress, plans to curb drug crime

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - Over the last seven years, Chief Joseph Hill has been Horry County’s top cop. Since first walking through the doors of the department, Hill has seen growth within the organization.

“When I first started there were around 280 employees, and now that number is near three hundred and eighty,” said Hill.

Speaking exclusively with WMBF News, Hill said the department is trying to keep up with the growth in Horry County, as more residents relocate to the area.

“We are growing to keep up with the demands of our growing community. As I drive around this county, I am just amazed at the development and growth that is happening here,” said Hill.

Hill said county leaders have been supportive in getting the department the resources needed to continue operations.

“We have put in requests for additional personnel and we’ve got those requests approved. Now we have to find qualified people to wear the badge of an Horry County Police Officer,” said Hill.

There is no routine day in the life of a police officer. Some days, there can be a call for service that can involve a horrific scene. Hill said he will never forget the tragic murder-suicide scene at a home in Carolina Forest almost a year ago. An investigation determined Laura Moberley shot her two young children and then herself. That incident is just one of many that highlighted the need for mental health programs for officers.

Hill has made it a personal mission to make sure those programs are available for all employees.

“When you are struggling with what you have seen over the years, you need help and it’s okay to say you need help. We have mental health services that are growing at our own wellness center. I think it’s critically important that folks get that attention that they need,” said Hill.

There is also peer-to-peer counseling as well, especially in times of crisis.

So far this year, homicide crimes are down compared to this time last year. Car burglaries are up however and Chief Hill said some of them are preventable.

“In some cases, suspects are opening car doors that are unlocked. To prevent this, sometimes it’s something as simple as beep before you sleep, which means hit your lock button,” said Hill.

In some cases, items like prescription drugs, and money were taken out of the vehicle. In other cases guns have been stolen, which is what concerns Hill the most.

The county continues to battle an epidemic of illegal drug overdoses. A couple of years ago, county officers started carrying life-saving opioid-reversal drugs like Narcan.

“We are losing people and it may not make the news, but we’re losing people on a regular basis. A lot of our officers were resistant at first to carrying Narcan because they really didn’t know what their place was in that life-saving role,” said Hill.

A couple of years ago, the department was awarded for making the most saves using Narcan.

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