Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on Monday an unprecedented comprehensive plan to raise compensation for members of the Atlanta Police Department.
“Each day, the women and men of the Atlanta Police Department serve our communities selflessly – some making the ultimate sacrifice to keep our city safe,” Bottoms said in a 10 a.m. press conference. “It is time for the City of Atlanta to take care of those who take care of us, which is why our Administration will immediately get to work to provide Atlanta’s officers with the compensation they deserve.”
“On behalf of Atlanta, I want to thank Chief Erika Shields for her steady leadership,” Bottoms continued. “Our police are more than officers—they are public servants who protect our very way of life by upholding the rule of law.”
Earlier this year, the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Police Foundation engaged Mercer to conduct a comprehensive market assessment to form base pay recommendations for APD’s police ranks.
Once published, Mayor Bottoms convened a series of priority meetings with APD, the Atlanta Police Foundation, City of Atlanta officials and stakeholders to craft a swift and equitable plan of action to address the compensation concerns.
As a result, by January 2019, the City of Atlanta will invest an additional $10 million towards compensation for patrolling police and senior police officers, the mayor announced. By July 2019, the City of Atlanta will fully bring patrolling police and senior police officers to the competitive benchmark identified within the Mercer compensation study.
In addition to raising police pay by 2019, the City will revisit public safety compensation every two years to ensure the Atlanta Police Department remains competitive.
Bottoms prioritized an increase in APD compensation of 3.1 percent in her first budget. The newly announced plan builds upon her commitment to her One Atlanta vision, which she said is characterized by “a safe and welcoming city” with “world-class employees, infrastructure and services.”
