STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. — A new metro area police chief needs to hire 58 officers to fight crime in his community.
But the Stockbridge chief told Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston why he’s looking for a special breed of candidate. The money and benefits are good, but he said he wants applicants to know that fighting crime is just part of the job.
Local residents like Sierra McGill said she hopes for a prospective officer “that actually cares about the citizens and (does) their job” without resorting to brutality.
Chief Frank Trammer is the city’s new police chief. With more than 25 years as an officer in Atlanta, Sandy Springs and chief on the Georgia Tech campus, Trammer said he wants his officers to get out of their squad car and get to know Stockbridge’s 30,000 residents and business owners.
“Crime data isn’t going to tell us if somebody doesn’t feel safe walking in their neighborhood at night because of poor lighting,” Trammer said.
Trammer has already hired four members of his leadership team, and his boots-on-the-ground style of policing must be what officers want too.
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In less than three weeks, more than 1,000 people have applied for the 58 jobs.
“I had hoped that we would have a large number of applicants, but this was much more than we had hoped for,” Trammer said.
The last day to apply for the force is Feb. 18.
Channel 2 Action News did a ride-along with Cpt. Anton Paton.
He said Stockbridge is in a unique position: they don’t have to try and change an already established police department’s culture because they are creating one.
“It’s starts with bringing in the right people, the right attitudes, the right mind set, people that want to be a part of the community,” Paton said.
The starting salary for new officers is between $48,000 and $70,000, depending on their experience and education.
If you’re interested in joining the force, you can get more information by CLICKING HERE.
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