Yemassee police to get $229K from federal agency to hire more officers. What they’ll do
The Yemassee Police Department is getting nearly a quarter of a million dollars from the federal government to hire two additional officers for community policing efforts.
As part of a $139 million pot distributed to police departments nationally, the Yemassee Police Department will receive $229,782 — one of three South Carolina police agencies to be given money from the Department of Justice, a press release said.
The grant will cover the hiring of two officers for two years, including benefits, said Yemassee Town Clerk Matt Garnes.
The agency is looking to hire within a month, and the officers will work in “troubled areas to try to bridge that gap between law enforcement and communities,” Garnes said.
The federal program’s goal is to add officers for community policing efforts. Each of the two Yemassee officers will represent a different zone of the town and be those neighborhoods’ liaison for any issues, according to Garnes.
The town’s population is about 1,200, and the police department has 11 employees, according to the department’s website. The agency is run by Chief Gregory Alexander, who is running for Hampton County sheriff in 2022.
