DeKalb CEO Thurmond announces starting salary boost to make DeKalb police, firefighters highest-paid in Georgia

DECATUR, GA— Today, DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond announced a 6.5-percent starting salary increase for all sworn police officers, making them the highest paid among large local governments in the state.

“Protecting the lives and well-being of our residents and businesses is our top priority,” CEO Thurmond said. “Our Keep DeKalb Safe plan focuses on retention, recruitment, hiring and violence interruption.”

Effective Oct. 1, 2022, the starting annual salaries for new hires will be as follows:

• • $50,500 for police recruits, up from $47,000.
  • $3,000 hiring incentive.
  • $52,000 for POST-certified police officers, up from $50,931.

To help increase the applicant pool for police officers, the Keep DeKalb Safe plan includes the hiring of EPIC Consulting Group LLC to assist with an aggressive national recruiting effort.

Additionally, firefighter salaries will increase 6.5 percent, as follows:

• $46,500 for firefighter recruits, up from $43,500.
• $3,000 hiring incentive.
• $48,825 for firefighters, up from $46,675.

The $2.4 million prorated funding for these salary increases will come from existing FY2022 police and fire rescue budgets.

Later this week, DeKalb County will announce the recipients of $1 million in awards for the DeKalb Youth Safety and Violence Prevention Grant initiative, through which the county will partner with local nonprofits that provide youth violence prevention and intervention strategies.

Recent public safety incentives have included:

• Hazard/incentive Pay for frontline employees during the pandemic.
• $3,000 retention incentive payments for public safety employees in 2021 and 2022.
• A 6.25 percent base salary increase in April 2022.
• Three times overtime pay for police officers in July 2022.

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announces starting salary boost—the highest in Georgia– for DeKalb police and firefighters at the Aug. 16 Board of Commissioners, Committee of the Whole meeting. Screenshot via Channel 23.