Politics & Government

Report: More Police Is a Priority for Stonecrest Cityhood

The Stonecrest City Alliance is pushing for its own law enforcement officers.

When Interim County CEO Lee May announced the potential hiring of 480 police officers, it put a smile on the face of Stonecrest City Alliance President Jason Lary.

Stonecrest is making plans to become a city, and Lary told WABE one of the reasons is the hiring of its own police force. He said there are simply not enough county officers to respond to Stonecrest citizens' needs.

“The problem is that there’s not enough [officers],” Lary says. “It’s 30 minutes or so before you can have a person out. “

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May plans to hire the officers as well as 300 fire fighters over the next three years and wants to give all sworn personnel three percent bonuses to boost retention. “What I’m hearing, is that other places (cities) pay better, (have) better benefits,” Lary said.

In Brookhaven, Chamber of Commerce director Todd Lantier confirmed an understaffed county police force was a reason incorporation mattered. 

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May said he does not want a tax increase in order to pay for the new hires and bonuses, and estimated there are nearly 200 job vacancies in both county departments.

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