Late Friday afternoon, Nicole Aiello, spokewoman for the City of North Myrtle Beach, sent a news release about a recent request by a city council member for the Governor's Office to look into ongoing matters in the city's Public Safety Department.
Aiello said the city contacted the Governor's Office in Columbia about the request made by Councilwoman Doris Williams The release says, "The Governor's Office stated that it does not normally conduct investigations of municipalities. The Office did state that normally investigations were conducted through other agencies of the state such as the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division or the Attorney General's office.
The City is still awaiting a response from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division concerning the request by the City for SLED to investigate whether the former Director of Public Safety, William Bailey, interfered with a charge against a private citizen for Criminal Domestic Violence. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is still considering its involvement in this matter."
Bailey was recently suspended then demoted to lieutenant after it was discovered that he lied about the theft of his service weapon. Bailey had said the gun was in a locked glove compartment in his truck. The Sun News later proved that Bailey's truck did not have a locking glove compartment.
Aiello says The Institute for Public Service and Policy Research (IPSPR), University of South Carolina, is assisting the City in assessing issues within the Public Safety Department. She says IPSPR personnel have met with employees, and will schedule additional meetings in the coming weeks to listen to employee concerns so that management can address those concerns.
According to the news release, North Myrtle Beach has also had a series of training sessions on sexual harassment and supervisory training to remind employees of proper conduct in the workplace. Additional training will be conducted in March.
Aiello concluded by saying the search for a new Director of Public Safety is underway.
