Canton Plans To Hire More Officers For Police Department

CANTON, GA -- Canton leaders appear to be making good on their promise to ensure its police department has the tools it needs to fight crime as well as to serve and protect the community.

At a special called meeting held Monday, July 17, City Manager Billy Peppers outlined a plan that would add more officers to the city's police force.

That plan would involve moving code enforcement operations from Canton Police Department supervision to City Hall as a standalone department. Currently, code enforcement is decked out with two sworn officers and one civilian.

Moving the department to City Hall would include staffing the agency with three civilian employees. This, Peppers said, would allow the police department to transfer the two sworn officers carrying out code enforcement duties to patrol operations.

He also petitioned the City Council to add two more sworn positions to the agency, bringing a total of four new officers that would be assigned to patrol positions. Some of those officers, he added, could be "situated in one area 24/7 without impacting any other patrol duties."

If all goes to plan, the city manager states he'd like to complete a transition period and advertise for the new officers so everything could be up and running in the next 30 to 45 days.

The formal memo will be presented once again during the Council's July 20 meeting. Peppers' announcement follows the city's press conference held Friday to ensure the community it's doing whatever necessary to support the police in solving the double homicide reported June 25 along Crisler Street just outside downtown Canton. Three men, including the brother of one of the murder victims, have been charged with felony murder in connection to the fatal shootings.

Canton police investigators have also charged three other men following the July 11 drive-by shooting in the same location of the double homicide. Detectives continue to work to determine if the two events are connected in any shape or form. Police Chief Mark Mitchell noted detectives are "close to charging other persons in the near future" related to the double homicide. He also praised the proposal announced Monday by City Hall.

"I think the new proposed approach and innovative ideas toward moving code enforcement under the control of City Hall will greatly benefit the community and city as a whole," he said, adding he commends the job code enforcement officers have done for the city as a whole.

If approved by City Council members, Mitchell said the boost in personnel will allow the department to "further concentrate on areas of need and afford us the opportunity to strengthen the proactive policing and outreach strategies we already have in place internally in our organization and externally with the citizens we serve."

Mayor Gene Hobgood also praised the move, adding the idea to move code enforcement operations from police to general government services is something city leaders have mulled over the last several years. He also said adding more officers to the police force will help the department focus on establishing a presence in areas of the city in need of additional attention.

Of course, Hobgood said he's received quite a bit of feedback from residents about the recent events. Those residents, unsurprisingly, are concerned about the current atmosphere.

"But basically, they are saying that they understand that the police are doing everything they can to keep the community safe," he said, adding it's also important for residents and the community to help the police department by calling 9-1-1 if they see anything suspicious.

Chief Mitchell reiterated that message on Sunday while speaking to the congregations of three churches situated in the area where the June double homicide took place. The chance to take that message to the streets, he said, "went very well."

"The opportunity to speak with each church was an effort to give a case update, ease fears, to reaffirm how we are all in this together and this is our community to keep safe and to stand together against violent activity," he added.

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