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Tucker council delays vote on creating city marshal’s office until policies are finalized
Summary
Council postponed a second-reading vote on an ordinance to establish a city marshal’s office, saying members need more detail on deployment, use-of-force policy, and written operational rules before approving. Staff said the office would be POST-certified and focus on court and facility security.
Mayor Pro Tem and the City Council on July 14 postponed action on an ordinance that would create a City Marshal’s Office, asking staff to return with detailed policies before adopting the change.
Bonnie read the ordinance (O2025-06-14) and a staff presenter described the proposed marshal service as a POST-certified peace officer unit focused on court services, bailiff duties, prisoner transport and security at city facilities. The presenter said the office would participate in Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council certification and recertification, and that staff had prepared roughly 150 pages of draft policy for the city attorney to review.
“Post certification…provides professional credibility, improves skills, operational readiness, and standardized training,” the presenter said, and listed required annual recertification topics including firearms requalification, de-escalation, crisis intervention and training tied to HB 238 and the Georgia Alzheimer’s Association training initiative.
Several councilmembers voiced concerns about how marshals would interact with the public, when marshals might be armed inside community facilities, and what oversight would exist. One councilmember asked whether marshals would be dispatched like a police patrol; staff replied that marshals would not be a patrol force and would not replace DeKalb Police. “This is not a lead in to a Tucker police force,” a councilmember emphasized during the discussion.
Councilmember Alexis moved to postpone the ordinance until the next regular business meeting to allow time for review of the draft policies; Roger seconded. The motion carried 6–0.
Next steps: Staff will finalize and submit the draft policies to the city attorney and city manager for review and bring clarifying materials back to council prior to a future vote. The council did not take further action on hiring or implementation at the meeting.
