What Horry County Sheriff's Office does

The Horry County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) is the constitutionally established primary law enforcement agency for Horry County, South Carolina, headquartered at 1301 Second Avenue, Conway, SC, and operating under elected Sheriff Phillip E. Thompson with Chief Deputy Tom Fox. The agency provides law enforcement patrol and criminal investigations, court security through its Judicial Security division, civil process service, criminal warrant filing and service, sex offender registry management, and operates the J. Reuben Long Detention Center for inmate custody and programs. HCSO also delivers victim services, fingerprinting, funeral escorts, temporary beer and wine permit sign-offs, HR-218 services, nonferrous metals regulation, and contracted off-duty deputy staffing, plus a Home Detention program that uses 24/7 GPS monitoring and SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring) technology for court-ordered defendants.

HCSO's core technology footprint is operational rather than commercial: GPS and SCRAM monitoring for home detention, a kiosk-based sick call request system for inmate medical/dental/mental health services, NCIC database integration for law enforcement data, and — transitioning November 12, 2025 — NCIC Correctional Services as the third-party inmate communications platform for phone and video visitation. The detention center additionally runs chaplaincy-led inmate programs in partnership with local community agencies and faith-based organizations focused on re-entry preparation and recidivism reduction.

As a county government entity, HCSO is funded by Horry County tax revenue rather than commercial pricing; no commercial revenue model, pricing tiers, or paying customer segments exist. The agency serves three primary constituencies — Horry County residents and visitors (law enforcement and public safety), the county court system (security and civil process), and inmates housed at J. Reuben Long Detention Center (custody, healthcare, rehabilitation) — within a single domestic jurisdiction. Marketing and community engagement are conducted through the official county government website, Facebook, Twitter/X, and a Public Information Office.

Name

Horry County Sheriff's Office

Legal name

Horry County Sheriff's Office

Website

https://sheriff.horrycounty.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Horry County Sheriff's Office is the constitutional county law enforcement agency for Horry County, South Carolina, delivering patrol, criminal investigations, court security, civil process service, sex offender registry, and detention operations at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center for county residents, visitors, and inmates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Law Enforcement Services

NAICS

Police Protection (922120), Correctional Institutions (92214)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Correctional Facility Operations (Prisons & Jails) (BPAKANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

State/Provincial Corrections, Probation & Parole Administration (BPAIABAF)

Keywords

• Law enforcement services
• Detention center operations
• Court security services
• Civil process service
• Public safety agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Conway, South Carolina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Horry County Sheriff's Office is a government law enforcement agency providing patrol, criminal investigations, court security, civil process service, criminal warrant management, and sex offender tracking to county citizens and visitors. It operates the J. Reuben Long Detention Center for inmate housing, medical and mental health services, rehabilitation programs, and home detention monitoring using GPS and SCRAM technology.

Product overview

The Horry County Sheriff's Office operates as a county law enforcement agency providing a comprehensive suite of public safety services. The core offerings include law enforcement patrol and investigations, court security, civil process services, and the J. Reuben Long Detention Center for inmate detention and programs. The office also manages sex offender registry, warrant services, home detention monitoring (GPS and SCRAM), and public-facing services such as fingerprinting. All services are provided under the Horry County Government infrastructure and integrate with NCIC Correctional Services for inmate communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Law Enforcement Services Provides police protection, community patrols, criminal investigations, and serves warrants for Horry County citizens and visitors.
• J. Reuben Long Detention Center County detention facility managing inmate housing, medical services, visitation, and inmate programs for individuals in custody.
• Court Security Provides security for Horry County courts and judicial proceedings through the Judicial Security division.
• Civil Process Services Handles service and execution of civil legal documents including summonses, subpoenas, and other court orders.
• Sex Offender Registry Manages registration and tracking of sex offenders within Horry County jurisdiction.
• Home Detention Monitoring GPS monitoring and SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring) program for court-ordered home detention defendants.
• Warrant Services Filing and management of criminal warrants, warrant searches, and related warrant division operations.
• Fingerprinting Services Public fingerprinting services for employment, licensing, and other official purposes.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Community Agencies and Faith-Based OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local community agencies and faith-based organizations to provide inmates with opportunities for personal growth, assist jail staff with inmate population management, prepare inmates for productive re-entry into the community, and reduce recidivism and jail overcrowding. The Chaplain at J. Reuben Long performs death notifications, provides religious/ secular books, and offers spiritual mentoring and guidance.
• NCIC Correctional ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party vendor providing inmate communications services including phone and video visitation. Transition to NCIC platform effective November 12, 2025. Inmates and families will need to create accounts on NCIC.com for communications.
• Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides resources and assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Collaborates on cross-jurisdictional law enforcement operations and information sharing.
• South Carolina Department of RevenueminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState agency that issues temporary beer and wine permits. The Sheriff's Office reviews and signs off on special permits for alcohol sales within Horry County jurisdiction.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Broward County Sheriff's Office: Large Florida county sheriff's office combining municipal police, detention, fire rescue, and court services. Larger in scale but operates an integrated sheriff-plus-detention-plus-court-security model similar in structure to Horry County's.
• Harris County Sheriff's Office: One of the largest county sheriff's offices in the U.S., operating patrol, a major jail complex, and court security. Broader incumbent offering a benchmark for scale, technology, and detention operations.
• Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: Largest U.S. county sheriff's department, providing patrol, court services, and the largest county jail system. Benchmarks technology deployment, inmate services modernization, and PREA programs.

Direct peers

• Charleston County Sheriff's Office: South Carolina county sheriff's office operating patrol, detention, court security, and civil process for a coastal, tourism-heavy county. Most direct peer in scope, jurisdiction type, and tourism exposure.
• Cobb County Sheriff's Office: Mid-size Georgia county sheriff's office with detention and uniform patrol functions. Comparable in headcount range (101–250 employees) and integrated sheriff model.
• New Hanover County Sheriff's Office: North Carolina coastal county sheriff's office (Wilmington area) with detention center, patrol, and court security functions. Highly comparable as a neighboring mid-size coastal tourist destination.
• Greenville County Sheriff's Office: South Carolina upstate county sheriff's office providing patrol, detention, civil process, and court security. Same state, same constitutional office structure, comparable population scale.
• Marion County Sheriff's Office (FL): Florida county sheriff's office providing patrol, detention, civil process, and court security in a tourism-adjacent county. Comparable mid-size scope and service mix.
• Richland County Sheriff's Office: Mid-size South Carolina county sheriff's office with detention center and full civil/court support functions. Direct same-state peer with overlapping service portfolio.
• Pender County Sheriff's Office: Small North Carolina coastal county sheriff's office serving a tourism-influenced jurisdiction. Comparable in geographic and tourism profile to Horry County at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/horrysheriff
• Facebookfacebook.com/HorryCountySheriff
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/horry-county-sheriff's-office

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Horry County Sheriff's Office