A familiar face around Cobb County has been tapped to serve as interim public safety director.
County manager Rob Hosack has named Fire Chief Randy Crider to the position, which was vacant due to the resignation of Mike Register due to family matters. Hosack approached Crider last week about temporarily serving in the role since he performed the same duties after Sam Heaton retired in March.
“We decided to capitalize on his leadership again this time,” Hosack said.
Register was appointed by the Board of Commissioners in April to succeed Heaton as public safety director after serving nearly two years as Cobb's police chief. Crider, whose salary is $154,701, said he hopes to continue Register's mission of building coalitions with various community groups in Cobb.
“The community has to be involved in all of public safety for us to be effective in our community because of the environment we live in these days,” he said.
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The elephant in the room is the struggle for Cobb County to recruit and retain quality men and women as public safety personnel. Crider said he wants to work with county commissioners to come up with additional incentives to attract more candidates to Cobb County. Commissioners in May approved a one-time, $1,475 payment to public safety employees as a first step in address those concerns. Commissioners in July approved the county's fiscal year 2020 budget, which included a 7% raise for certified and sworn public safety employees. Crider said the budget also has money to cover monthly dues for Peace Officers Annuity & Benefit Fund and the Georgia Firefighters Pension Fund.
“That’s huge for incoming firefighters and existing firefighters and police officers,” Crider said.
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Crider, who will toss in his name to be considered for the position permanently, also said he hopes to promote ways the county can attract a diverse crop of public safety personnel to reflect Cobb’s demographics. Hosack said the county will search internally and outside Cobb to find a permanent public safety director. It’s difficult to lay out a timeline, but Hosack said the process “will again yield a great public safety director.”
County Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said Crider is “certainly capable and competent” to serve as interim director. When asked about the kind of director the county wants, Boyce said that person should be prepared to advocate for community policing and “make sure we have true partnerships” with the community.
Crider has been in fire service for 38 years, 29 with Cobb County. Before coming to Cobb, he served for nine years with the Douglas County Fire Department. Crider said he’s developed the relationships needed with elected officials, his counterparts in surrounding public safety agencies and others to properly serve Cobb residents.
“That’s the nature of public safety,” he said. “That’s how you become better at public safety. I’m going to continue those relationships.”
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