Cobb County Police chief John Houser said Monday that his department is already looking for ways to hire and train officers more quickly in anticipation of county commissioners adding 40 new people to the force.
Commission Chairman Tim Lee said he expects the board will approve the additional positions on Tuesday without controversy.
“We have not increased staffing for many years,” Houser wrote in an email. “We are looking at both our hiring and training programs to determine if they can be streamlined. We are discussing an abbreviated training program for (certified) officers. We are giving our hiring practices a fresh look.”
And “we are also discussing the locations and manner in which the additional officers will be deployed.”
As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday, Houser and former Public Safety Director Jack Forsythe sent dozens of memos to County Manager David Hankerson and Commission Chairman Tim Lee over 16 months telling them of the dire need for more officers, new vehicles and smarter scheduling.
Houser and Forsythe warned the department was vulnerable, especially during shift changes that typically leave few officers in the field to respond to calls or backup other officers making dangerous runs.
Two days after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution starting asking about the Houser and Forsythe recommendations, the county announced it would be hiring more officers and buying more police vehicles.
Public Safety Director Sam Heaton wrote an email to officers on Thursday, telling them that the commission would vote on the new positions and would:
- Perform a study on assigning officers take-home vehicles, which Houser says will lower maintenance costs and increase vehicle life while making the department more efficient because officers will be able to respond to calls from home, or on their way to work or court.
- Evaluate the need for a study that would look at operations, facilities, technology.
- Buy ballistic vests and helmets capable of repelling rife shots, which were requested last summer.
- Supply officers with rifles.
All of those actions were recommended in the memos from Forsythe and Houser.
Bill Mull, president of the Cobb Police Fraternal Order of Police, said most of the 500 officers he represents are happy about the new positions but don’t believe much will come of the other issues.
“They think it’s a joke, just another delaying tactic,” Mull said. “The men and women have no confidence in any of these things. It’s just wish list, like Christmas.”
The additional officers will allow the county to move to 10-hour overlapping shifts at two of four precincts that currently operate on eight-hour shifts. The longer shifts, which were tried as a pilot project at one precinct, allow the department to keep more officers in the field during peak call times, Houser says.
The county also must find a way to fill the 40 vacancies the department currently has, as well as any additional vacancies created by officers leaving this year. That’s difficult because cadet classes only have room for about 30 officers, and the county can run just two classes per year, according to the county’s public safety officials.
The county also is buying 67 vehicles this year, which Heaton said is enough to address the issue of officers sometimes waiting on a cruiser at the precinct for hours at the start of their shifts.
“I’m pleased we’re moving forward with the adding additional police positions,” Houser said. “Increasing the authorized strength … will result in a department which is much more efficient. Additionally, it provides a safer environment for citizens and our officers.”
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