A House Study Committee on State and Local Law Enforcement Salaries, tasked with looking at and comparing law enforcement salaries across Georgia with those offered by other states, will hold its first meeting on Thursday at the John Pope Technology Center in Americus.
The committee was established by House Resolution 1082 – passed in the 2022 Legislative session– and was created to help identify ways to retain and recruit law enforcement officers throughout the state. The study committee is chaired by state Rep. Mike Cheokas, R-Americus, and will conclude its work by December 31, 2022, ahead of the 2023 legislative session.
House Resolution 1082 states that “WHEREAS, the State of Georgia is served daily by the thousands of state and local law enforcement officers who have dedicated themselves to the protection of the lives and property of our citizens; and it is largely upon the courage and commitment of these brave men and women that our fundamental liberties and well-being are built and secured.”
The Resolution goes on to say “Georgia’s state and local law enforcement officers help to assure an orderly society and enhance the citizenry’s sense of security; and place the well-being of society above their personal concerns and, in some instances, risking their lives for the sake of others, the law enforcement officers in this state exemplify the highest nobility and greatest commitment to humanitarian ideals.”
The issue of pay for law enforcement officers across the state has become a critical issue– especially as local cities and counties struggle with a shortage of personnel and look for ways to recruit and retain the best candidates.
Recently, in Savannah, city officials approved a pay increase for city police officers, bringing their total compensation up into the top five percent of cities in the state, according to recent reports. At the same time, Chatham County residents are upset that officers in the county “are being slighted.”
Jeanne Seaver, a former Republican candidate for Georgia’s Lt. Governor and a Republican activist, says that while the majority of the property taxes come from the unincorporated areas, County Commissioners approved “only a 5 percent increase which doesn’t even touch the high inflation we are experiencing this year.”
According to several county residents, the Chatham County police officers are being told they receive less money because “there’s not as much crime in the unincorporated areas as it is in downtown Savannah.”
“On determining salaries for police officers that risk their lives every day no matter where they are, more pay in a high crime area should never be a factor. They should be the highest paid government official in the county or state,” said Seaver.
