With the current situation going on with Horry County Police Department, the tax payers need to stand up and let their voices be heard. We need to have County Council add a referendum on the ballot for the Horry County Police Department and the Sheriff's Department to merge. The people of Horry County should make this decision NOT County Council! I have spoken to several elected officials as well as several others. Several qualified officials I checked with outside of County Council that support allowing the citizens to decide advised me that we need a large group to push for this, as most on County Council are not for the merger. I got that vibe as well. I was informed by one councilman that it is to late but after calling a few other qualified and elected officials I was told that is not true and that we need to start pressing the issue hard because we do not have much time. We have been through three Chiefs with Horry County Police Department, with a temporary fourth in place right now in fifteen years. We have a wonderful Sheriff with proven leadership who has been the Sheriff of Horry County for 15 years. Before becoming a Sheriff of Horry County, Sheriff Thompson came from Horry County Police Department. He had been with HCPD for 23 years. There is no better time then now for a merge to take place. Even if you are unsure we should all be able to take a stand and vote on this either way. County Council should let the citizens of Horry County decide