Police Shortage in Georgia

 By Kaya Pratt

Atlanta Police Stations 

The shortage of staff in police departments is sweeping the nation, especially in states like Georgia according to an article from the Marshall Project.

The shortage comes from members of the police force leaving, as well as not as many new cops are being hired – even with high recruitment efforts. This results in fewer patrols and less participation in vital community programs according to Chef Mansour.

Criminal justice graduate, Shellice Douglas believes the reason for the shortage is that the police are not being compensated enough for the risk that they take daily. “Low pay for a high-risk job and the demonizing portrayal of the police in the media are to blame,” she said.

Douglas also believes that millennials’ lack of interest in police work could also be a reason for the recruitment issues.

But there is a distinct difference when it comes to the cities and rural areas in Georgia. Media coverage of the police does not affect rural areas in the same it does in big cities.

“Fewer police officers put stress on the police force and require them to work more hours,” Said a GSU student, Xandria William. She added that overworked officers tend not to follow the procedures as much.

Although police brutality has been at the forefront of the news stories recently, Villa Rica Police Chief Michael Mansour says it does not affect his force. “Not in our small media market,” he said. “Our citizens support our department completely.”

One thing that both Mansour and Douglas agree on, is that the shortage of police officers affects the community negatively.

Even in larger communities, like Marietta, where there are more officers, there is still a shortage. Marietta officers  Jose Ordonez,   Phillip Scott, and Anderson Nudi agree the pay is one of the reasons recruiting officers is so difficult in addition to media’s painting of police and police brutality.  “It could hinder young people from the job,” said Ordonez. Another consequence of the police shortage is longer response times and less visibility in different areas of the community.

The Marietta Police Department expects to raise entry-level pay at the beginning of next year.

“It is harder to keep them,” explained Mansour. He believes that because there is a growing job market with positions where men and women don’t have to risk their lives is also a reason for lowered interest in police work.

The city of Villa Rica is actively recruiting from the military and local universities to help bolster their police presence.