College Park police officer shortage ‘unsustainable,’ residents say

The number of College Park police officers on patrol at night is “frighteningly” low, a resident told city leaders who are hearing ongoing concerns about officer retention.

During a public hearing Monday on the city’s 2027 fiscal year budget, resident Sherry Godfrey urged city council to increase the starting salary for police officers from $55,000 annually to levels more competitive with other metro Atlanta cities.

“I frankly would like to have confidence when I call 911 and have an emergency and not hear from officers that [they] worked five weekends straight. Double shifts. ‘Three people working with me right now,’” Godfrey said. “That is utterly ridiculous. We could do so much better. We need to do better.”

The College Park Police Department is facing a significant staffing shortage. Police Chief Sharis McCrary told city council during an April budget workshop that the department is short 33 officers.

A SaportaReport source confirmed the department regularly operates with only four officers on patrol during a given shift.

College Park has a population of about 14,000 residents, but that number can swell by tens of thousands during business hours because of the city’s proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, according to the source.

City officials have said they are considering salary increases of up to 8% or $59,400. McCrary has praised officers and told council in April that a 20% increase to $66,000 is needed to recruit and retain officers.

The department currently has 64 sworn officers, including 56 who work full time, according to the city.

“Our lieutenants are doing the work of sergeants,” McCrary told council. “The sergeants are doing the work of officers. Everyone is just trying to gather and do what they can to make all the ends meet.”

At Monday’s hearing, resident Julie McGouirk said officers recently responded to complaints about an out-of-control block party in her neighborhood.

“Our police officers, God bless them, were there quick,” McGouirk said. “They got it shut down. They got people moving away from the area…”

McGouirk said officers later rushed away with sirens on.

She told SaportaReport she believes most officers on duty that night were responding to the block party complaint before leaving for another emergency elsewhere in the city.

But, within about 15 minutes, gunshots erupted in her neighborhood, she said.

Other metro cities pay salaries that attract College Park officers 

Resident James Walker also criticized city leaders during Monday’s budget hearing, arguing that College Park trains officers only to lose them to neighboring municipalities, such as Sandy Springs, that offer higher pay.

In Sandy Springs, the starting salary for police officers range from $73,000 to $84,000 per year depending on education and experience, according to the city website.

“Every officer we train in College Park costs this city tens of thousands of dollars in academy fees, field training equipment and salary,” Walker said. “We pay all of it out of our tax dollars. And then having paid for the training, we watch our officers drive 30 minutes up the road to put that training to work for a city [willing] to pay them what they are actually worth.”

Mayor Bianca Motley Broom and council members said they strongly support the police department.

“We heard what residents care about. It’s up to us to execute on those things,” Motley Broom said.

Councilwoman Jamelle McKenzie said municipalities across the region are struggling to retain officers and that some candidates enter law enforcement with expectations that are shaped by television portrayals of policing.

“I am a strong advocate for public safety,” she said. “We have to be able to offer to our law enforcement more than just money.”

A 2025 Police1.com survey on “What Cops Want” found that 56% of 1,200 respondents said staffing shortages put them at greater risk of harm during calls. Similar to College Park, an officer told the digital publication that frequently there was only three officers per shift and “we’re constantly scrambling to cover each other.”

Police1.com is a leading source of information for law enforcement.

College Park neighbors say they believe council members prioritize political ambition over challenges facing the police department.

“We have completely lost focus of what we should be doing as a city, and you as a governing body,” Godfrey told council. “And it is really, really sad.”

Her husband, Randy Godfrey, warned officials that current staffing levels put the city at risk of becoming a haven for criminals. He described what the police are called to do with so little resources as “an amazing feat.”

“This is unsustainable,” he said. “If I was a criminal, what better place to come to? There’s opportunities for people to do bad things and we are liable because we cannot prioritize the police.”