The four officers are Steve Anderson and Perry Bowens, both school resource officers, Sgt. Randle Ballenger and Tyler Mitchell, a traffic patrol officer. They will wear body cameras.
Greer City Council approved Police Chief Dan Reynolds’ request to sign a mutual aid agreement with Myrtle Beach to provide support. Council concurred with an amendment clarifying liability and workers’ compensation agreed between the entities.
Three people died and seven were injured in eight shootings at the beachfront in Myrtle Beach last year during Bike Weekend.
About 450 additional law enforcement personnel, from South Carolina, Georgia and Florida will assist local law enforcement and emergency personnel May 21-25.
Reynolds and City Administrator Ed Driggers briefed a slightly miffed council Tuesday on the request that was received one month earlier, according to Driggers, but brought to the council’s attention for a quick vote. The officers have had additional cultural diversity training.
“I’m not excited about them (officers) doing this but it’s real live training and I trust who the Chief has picked,” Councilman Wryley Bettis, said.
“I considered it in the past but feel today we can afford to do this, to go down there to help Myrtle Beach with the issues they have to deal with during Bike Week,” Reynolds said. Reynolds is president of the South Carolina Police Chiefs Association this year.
Reynolds said he has asked Duncan and Spartanburg law enforcement in the past to aid Greer when additional help was needed.
Reynolds said it will give the officers he handpicked staff reality training. “I feel this is good training for them. The reality training of the officers going down there and see what’s going on and how people deal with these situations is an opportunity.”
They may be with crowd control, public safety, traffic control or those kinds of things, Reynolds said. “The officers will be doubled up with Myrtle Beach officers so they know where to go and may be in outer areas and doing regular patrol while Myrtle Beach officers may be in and around some problem areas.”
Myrtle Beach will provide lodging accommodations for the officers, meals and per diem, Driggers said. The officers will drive Greer police vehicles to Myrtle Beach but will park them for the four days.
Councilman Lee Dumas qualified his vote to send the officers. “It’s like a reciprocal agreement communities have with each other,” he said. In fact Greer CPW and Mt. Pleasant have a reciprocal agreement when storms create excessive damage to utilities.
“Hopefully if we ever have the need for help I would expect (Myrtle Beach) to send people up here to help us,” Reynolds said.