Sunday, November 08, 2009
Opinion, In this Issue..., Politics, Atlanta

Save our cops

An open letter to Atlanta's next mayor.

Left to right: Mary Norwood, Kasim Reed
Photos Courtesy of the Norwood and Reed Campaigns

Editor’s Note: On Nov. 3, Atlantans went to the polls to elect a new mayor, with the result that no candidate attracted the votes needed to win the office. On Dec. 1, Atlantans will return to the polls to choose between Kasim Reed and Mary Norwood. However, no matter who our next mayor is, he or she will face the daunting task of overhauling the Atlanta Police Department. 
Sgt. Scott Kreher, a 17-year veteran of the APD, president of the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, and national vice president of the IBPO, has written the following letter to remind the next mayor of the tasks that lie ahead if Atlanta is to stop the mass exodus of police officers from the APD.

By Sgt. Scott Kreher

Dear Mayor,

As you are aware, there have been many high-profile violent crimes over the past few years, and property crime is still on the rise. Not surprisingly, Atlanta’s residents made public safety a top priority in this year’s election. The citizens have spoken, and they demand a police department capable of keeping them safe.

During your run for office, you stressed the importance of an adequately staffed department and a new police chief who is ready to lead by example. Our city expects a chief of police who is familiar with, and engaged in, the most progressive methods in policing and is not afraid to implement them. You have an opportunity to ensure that the police department regains the trust of all of Atlanta’s neighborhoods and provides our citizens the best possible crimefighting organization in the nation. The men and women of the Atlanta Police Department would be the best foundation on which to build that model department, but we are losing them every day. 

Over the past eight years, the APD has grown from a force of about 1,400 to almost 1,800 at its highest staffing. Yet, as you take office, we will once again have fewer than 1,600 officers, with no relief in sight from the ever-increasing attrition rate. The national police attrition average hovers around 5 percent, but the most recent report released by Mayor Shirley Franklin’s administration shows the APD loses more than twice that many as officers choose to go elsewhere or retire. The APD’s attrition rate is a whopping 13 percent. Over the next 18 months, the department is expected to lose more than 130 officers to retirement alone.

Shell games have been played to cover up the attrition rate and the city’s lack of a plan for dealing with it. This summer, for example, the Franklin administration cut 66 police officer positions in the hopes of later landing a federal grant to hire 200 officers, hopefully resulting in a net gain of 144 officers. Instead, the grant paid for only 50 positions that will be funded for three years, producing a net loss of 16 positions.

Obviously, such maneuvers will not keep our department staffed at current levels, let alone move us closer to the 2,500 officers a city the size of Atlanta needs. So how do we attract, hire, train and, most importantly, retain the officers needed to keep our city safe? The International Brotherhood of Police Officers provided a slate of action items to the mayor and the City Council last May to address those goals. Here are some highlights:

1. Atlanta must restore step-pay increases. It’s the only major city to freeze annual increments for its police officers, creating morale-busting disparity in pay rates among the rank-and-file.

2. Atlanta needs an identifiable career path for its officers, as all major police departments across the country have. Without a career path, officers feel unmotivated and rudderless. Both the Bain Report and the Linder Report (funded by the Atlanta Police Foundation) say it's a must.

3. Atlanta needs to reinstate the Tuition Reimbursement Plan, one thing that actually did help attract and retain officers who were bright enough and driven enough to further their education.

4. Atlanta needs a written, long-term strategic plan for curbing the APD’s attrition rate and increasing its manpower.

The IBPO recognizes the limited revenue available in the general fund and has recommended the following ways to increase revenue to fund the APD:

1. Towing. Most major police departments provide their own towing, with contracted drivers, and it generates millions of dollars each year. The department has a reserve officer program that can be used to staff the operation.

2. License enforcement. The department could spend a few weeks toward the end of each year doing a citywide business license sweep to ensure fines are levied and new license fees are paid.

3. Quartermastering. The department should be purchasing uniforms under a quartermaster system at wholesale prices, but instead the city contracts with one company to provide them. Consequently, an average uniform shirt that should cost $30 costs the APD $80.

    Choosing a chief will be the first major decision you will face. Many citizens have made it clear they are unhappy with the current, “outside,” police chief. But as mayor, your search for a new chief should not be limited to our department. There are many bright, progressive police chief candidates around the country, and while the citizens have good reason to be leery of “imports,” we owe it to them to pick the most qualified candidate available, whether that person is in the APD already or not. Attracting the best chief also might require you to provide a contract, which is not uncommon. The IBPO looks forward to being an active participant in the selection and vetting process of the new chief, as you promised in your candidate questionnaire.   

You will have two powerful things in your favor when you take office: The police officers and the citizens want, and need, you to succeed. Atlanta’s future depends on it. Public safety is the cornerstone of any successful city, and if we are to attract new business, new residents and new visitors, we must ensure our police department is the top priority in your administration. We look forward to walking side-by-side with you toward these goals so that our city can be free of crime. SP

Stephanie Ramage’s column will return next week.