The mission of the Surfside Beach Police Department is to administer and enforce all laws in a fair, impartial, and professional manner and to adopt a neighborhood and community oriented policing philosophy through various programs and strategies with the objective of serving, protecting, and positively impacting the quality of life of all the citizens of Surfside Beach.
Chief Kenneth Hofmann
All Emergency Calls Dial 911
Non-Emergency Calls: 843-913-6368
Surfside Beach Police Community Alert Program (CAP)
The Police Department is excited to announce a new program available to residents called the Community Alert Program (CAP). Participation in the CAP is voluntary and there is no cost for the service. Residents who participate in the CAP will be able to take advantage of the following services:
Senior Watch Overview
The Senior Watch program is primarily focused on our senior community but other residents may participate based upon special needs.
- Participants will be entered into our dispatch system and an automated service will create a service call that will be handled as follows:
- A Communications Officer will be automatically prompted to call the number(s) provided to make verbal contact and check on the resident
- If verbal contact cannot be made, a Communications Officer will make additional attempts to contact the emergency/secondary contacts
- If contact cannot be made and secondary contact does not resolve the issue, a Communications Officer will dispatch an Officer to respond to the residence for a welfare check. Unless officers determine or believe there is some emergency, they will not enter a residence.
- All contacts and/or attempts will be documented in the dispatch system
- Participants can chose how often they would like to be contacted (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)
- Seniors are not the only residents who may benefit from the program:
- Residents with physical impairments (walking difficulties, speech/hearing difficulties, etc)
- Residents with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or memory issues
Special Needs Alert
The Special Needs Alert program can help provide vital information to Police Officers who are responding to an address where a resident who has communication difficulties lives
- Participants can have their address entered into our dispatch system and flagged so that any response to the residence generates an automatic alert
- Communications Officers will be alerted and provide the information to responding Officers:
- Residents who are autistic or have similar special needs are often sensitive to loud noises, disturbances, flashing lights, etc
- Officers can take measures to minimize the impact their response may have on a resident while ensuring a safe response
- Officers can employ alternate communication tactics to better deal with residents who may have difficulties communicating
If you would like to enroll in the CAP, you can obtain an application by clicking HERE or you can visit the Police Department at 811 Pine Drive in Surfside Beach. Questions should be directed to Tanika Parson by calling (843) 913-6346.
Important laws, ordinances, and regulations
For a list of Police Department services, click the link below:
http://www.surfsidebeach.org/police-services
Surfside Beach Golf Cart Ordinance
The Town passed an ordinance into law that regulates the operation of golf carts in the Town limits. This ordinance mirrors the allowances and prohibitions of the State law and only adds penalties, which are currently absent in the State code. The Police Department has developed a flyer we hope will be helpful and answer questions about the new ordinance and current State law. The flyer can be obtained by clicking the link below:
Police Department Golf Cart Information Flyer
Interested In Joining The Team?
The Police Department continually accepts applications for positions within the department in order to ensure staffing levels are maintained and to prevent interruptions to the services we provide.
If you are interested in joining our team you can download an application by clicking the link below.
A printed hardcopy must be submitted either in person or by mail and applications must bear "inked" signatures; no faxes or scans are accepted.
If you have questions concerning employment, contact Captain Arron Miller at 843-913-6345.
Law Enforcement Application
Public Feedback
The Police Department values your feedback and opinions. We encourage citizens to bring forward compliments, suggestions, and grievances regarding operations and the actions of our staff.
If you have an issue you would like to discuss with a supervisor, you may call (843) 913-6368 and ask for the supervisor on duty or visit the department in person. Formal complaints can be filed using our formal complaint process. For more information on our complaint process click the link below to download our Citizen Complaint informational page:
Citizen Complaint Process
Police Department Body-worn Camera Program
As part of our continuing effort to provide transparency and partnership with our community, the department has equipped each of its sworn Officers with body-worn video cameras.
If you have questions about the cameras, our program, or their benefits contact the program manager, Captain Arron Miller by calling (843) 913-6345. Additionally you can view the department's General Order regarding body-worn cameras by clicking the link below:
General Order 31 / Body-worn Cameras
The Police Department is on Facebook
Click the link below to follow us and see updates, news releases, and more.
Surfside Beach Police Department Facebook Page
Monthly Department Reports