The need for more police officers patrolling Cobb County became the subject of a town hall organized by county officials recently.
Cobb County Commission Chairman Mike Boyce hosted the March 5 event at the Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center to discuss transportation issues, but the meeting took a turn as residents wanted to know more the dwindling number of officers.
“We are not near a crisis,” said resident Susan Hampton. “We are already there. The house is on fire and we all need to understand that.”
Reached by telephone after the event, Steve Gaynor, a Cobb police sergeant who oversees training, echoed Hampton’s concerns.
Gaynor said the department has already lost 18 officers this year to other local departments such as the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs police departments.
Gaynor, who is also president of the local Fraternal Order of Police branch, said Cobb police have warned elected officials about the growing departures in 2016.
Gaynor said Cobb doesn’t offer the competitive pay and benefits needed to attract and retain officers. He said Cobb’s starting salary for a rookie officer — $40,014 — pales in comparison to areas such has Atlanta, DeKalb, Sandy Springs and Brookhaven.
The starting salaries for Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Brookhaven all start above $44,000; Brookhaven and Atlanta are tops with starting salaries at $48,500 for a rookie officer. Gaynor said only Marietta, Smyrna and Gwinnett County rank lower than Cobb on the starting pay scale.
However, he notes Smyrna and Marietta offer perks such as signing and retention bonuses that help attract candidates.
Gaynor said Boyce is “kicking it down the road” by promising to address the issue in 2020. However, Boyce said the county set aside funding to hire about 23 new officers this year and to purchase the necessary equipment for those new recruits.
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Boyce said he will not ask taxpayers for another millage rate increase this year, but said the county could see increased revenue from this year's tax digest. Those funds could also be applied towards the police department's budget, but Boyce said no specifics have been discussed.
“We haven’t solved all of the problems but we are making inroads into them,” Boyce said.
Hampton said she is organizing public safety advocates to attend a March 26 county commission meeting so that “Mike and [the] commissioners can see that the people of Cobb County do have the police and public safety on their minds.”
Gaynor said the county could increase its contribution to the employee 401K program or offer enrollment in the Peace Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Georgia as improvements that can be made now. Those things, he said, could help lure new officers to Cobb County.
“The commissioners have to address it now,” he said. “We can’t wait until 2020 to look at it and make the adjustments.”
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