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CEO proposes $10.28 million police recruitment and retention package including raises, housing allowance and task force
Summary
DeKalb County CEO Cochran Johnson told the Committee of the Whole on Feb. 25 that the county’s police staffing level is well below national recommendations and outlined a multi‑pronged recruitment and retention plan that county staff estimate would cost about $10.28 million and be funded by redirecting existing budgeted monies.
DeKalb County CEO Cochran Johnson told the Committee of the Whole on Feb. 25 that the county’s police staffing level is well below national recommendations and outlined a multi‑pronged recruitment and retention plan that county staff estimate would cost about $10.28 million and be funded by redirecting existing budgeted monies rather than a new appropriation.
“DeKalb County serves a population of more than 756,000 residents, yet our current police staffing levels are well below the national average,” CEO Cochran Johnson said during a presentation that included a video and a white paper prepared by county staff. The materials showed 841 funded sworn positions and cited 531 filled positions at the time of the presentation.
What the package would do
• Compensation and incentives: a proposed 7.1% salary increase for police majors and captains; new hiring rates and layered, graduated signing and referral bonuses (referrals up to $10,000 for certified officers); an immediate compensation investment cited as $6,500,000 within the presentation and a total package cost estimated at $10,280,000.
• Benefits and quality‑of‑life changes: holiday pay for sworn officers, a sick‑leave compensation program, an annuity benefit, and a monthly housing allowance of up to $500 for officers who agree to live in DeKalb County. The presentation said the housing allowance would begin immediately and the county has identified the number of officers who qualify for budget modeling.
• Operational changes: expansion of a take‑home car policy from 35 to 40 miles (the presentation said the prior limit was 35 miles), a proposal to create a DeKalb County Police Foundation to attract private donations for housing subsidies and other supports, and a planned external pension study.
• Recruitment tools and technology: a public safety task force to advise strategy, a real‑time crime center and force‑metrics software to connect records management (RMS) and computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) systems, a community camera registry (the presentation noted roughly 2,600 registered cameras), and a Tip 411 anonymous tips system currently staffed 9 a.m.–10 p.m. weekdays with plans to move tip intake into the real‑time center.
• Community and youth initiatives: a school‑based nonviolence initiative developed with DeKalb County Schools that the CEO said will begin in August; an emphasis on community trust‑building and a proposed public safety summit in partnership with federal agencies via the National Public Safety Partnership.
How it would be paid for
Johnson said the administration plans to reallocate existing funds rather than request new general‑fund appropriations. The presentation cited several years of increased overtime spending—used to cover patrol needs when positions are vacant—and argued that higher base pay and retention incentives would reduce reliance on costly overtime.
Questions and responses from commissioners
Commissioners pressed for details. Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson and others asked whether officers had been surveyed about living in the county; the presentation team said staff conducted a random sample of one‑on‑one conversations and that about 100–200 officers live in DeKalb of roughly 530 sworn staff, with exact counts in the white paper. CFO/OMB staff were listed as having verified cost modeling.
Commissioner Messiah asked whether signing bonuses would be tied to a retention period; staff said signing and retention bonuses would be graduated and contingent on certification and completion of required training.
On federal partnership concerns, the CEO said participation in the National Public Safety Partnership is focused on violent crime prevention and does not require the county to participate in immigration enforcement.
Next steps
The CEO said staff will distribute a white paper with detailed line‑item modeling and that the task force and other implementation details will be developed if the board supports the proposal during the budget process. No formal vote on the package was taken at the Feb. 25 meeting.
