Horry County Police Interim Chief Saundra Rhodes says she's ready for the police and the community to have a better relationship.
"I'm asking the community to be open to accepting a partnership with us and call us when they're having town meetings and calling us with their concerns," said Rhodes. "So we can be proactive and not just reactive to their needs."
To strengthen the lines of communication, Chief Rhodes and her officers have set up town hall style meetings in the various precincts.
These meetings are where community members are allowed to voice their opinions, concerns and complaints to the Horry County Police Department.
Sgt. Toby Boyd of the West Precinct says hearing the public's opinions will help them be better officers.
"There's no way we'd be able to know what people are thinking or what their needs are unless they bring it to us," said Boyd.
Chief Rhodes says hearing what the community is worried about can help them address those issues more effectively.
Lowell Dorman, a resident of Green Sea brought his concerns to the meeting Tuesday night. He says these new initiatives are "a step in the right direction."
However, Dorman was disappointed with one aspect, the lack of attendance by his fellow community members.
Chief Rhodes says seats being empty are a positive thing for her force.
"We were told they didn't have any issues with the police department, so they didn't need to show up," she said.
There will be more meetings held in the future at the west precinct, despite the dismal turnout.
The next meeting for Horry County Police will be held in the North Precinct at North Myrtle Beach High School at 6:30 p.m. on August 9th.
