Some Georgia cities increase police pay to retain officers

(The Center Square) — Some Georgia cities are increasing police officer pay, hoping to retain law enforcement personnel.

The Dunwoody City Council recently approved a roughly 10% mid-year pay increase for police officers, detectives, sergeants, and lieutenants. The raises, which took effect Aug. 1, are in addition to a 4% increase earlier this year.

City documents indicate the pay increase for police would cost city taxpayers $211,981 in fiscal 2023, an amount it could cover with salary savings from vacant positions. Since 2021, Dunwoody has adjusted police pay six times, and officers and detectives have seen their pay increase by 38.9%, officials said.

“In short, no, it is not happening everywhere, nor is it a common occurrence,” Justin Insalaco, a strategic advisor at Atlas One, told The Center Square via email. “Gov. [Brian] Kemp has been a big advocate for this because Georgia police officers are amongst the lowest paid in the country. Georgia is also struggling to recruit police officers. He is actually trying to pass a bill that will increase the salary of state police officers by $4,000.

“In Dunwoody, it is even more cushy than the raise; they are paying for their fitness membership, they are getting take-home vehicles, and their families are covered 90% by insurance on day one,” Insalaco added. “We can only assume what these new initiatives will do for recruitment and retention, but from my POV, this will absolutely draw in new recruits and most definitely ensure that Dunwoody is not losing quality officers to other agencies.”

Dunwoody isn’t alone. Officials in nearby Smyrna also increased pay for its police officers and firefighters.

“We’ve been able to give … three raises to our police officers and fire personnel in two years which has never, ever been done before in this city,” Mayor Derek Norton said during his recent State of the City address.

Last year, the city completed a compensation study, and Norton said the city opted to proceed with raises in response to the results.

“We adjusted pay across the board while also improving retirement benefits, which both supports our current employees and makes Smyrna a more attractive place for talented individuals to come work,” Norton added. “And that’s good for everyone and ensures that we have a dedicated, professional staff that goes above and beyond for our Smyrna residents and businesses each and every day.”