This story has been updated.
Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission, at its April 17 regular meeting, approved a memorandum of understanding with the Decatur Downtown Development Authority to hire off-duty police officers to provide supplemental security and law enforcement services within downtown Decatur. The program will begin on Tuesday, April 18.
The DDA approved a resolution supporting the memorandum of understanding at its meeting on Friday, April 14.
“Due to staffing shortages in the Decatur Police Department, the city is unable to adequately meet the need for police officers in the downtown business district at this time,” Deputy City Manager David Junger said. “This program would provide security and patrol services in the downtown business district during peak hours.”
Officers will be on patrol on foot from 5:30 p.m. to midnight on Thursdays and Fridays, and from 4 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. The pilot program will run for four months.
Some of the duties and responsibilities of the officers would include monitoring radio traffic, responding to calls for service downtown, and engaging in “activities, which [include] addressing ordinances and laws related to smoking in public places, loitering, littering, urban camping, aggressive panhandling, drugs and improper disposal of waste,” Junger said.
The Decatur Police Department will publicize the program, identify interested officers, perform background checks, and orient officers to their responsibilities and shifts. Decatur Police would also run reports on incidents.
The police department and DDA will only hire officers for the pilot program who are actively working for a police department, Decatur Police Chief Scott Richards previously said.
The program will be staffed by off-duty officers from various law enforcement agencies, including the Decatur Police Department. The city will also reach out to officers with the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office, the DeKalb…
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