Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed legislation authorizing an unprecedented 30 percent pay increase for police officers as part of a focused and sustained effort to strengthen and support the men and women of the Atlanta Police Department and make Atlanta the safest big city in America.

“This is an historic step to improving public safety in our city,” said Mayor Bottoms. “Our police officers have a starting salary lower than our neighboring communities.  I hope that this increase in pay will not only help recruit and retain officers, but assure the public that safety is and always will be a top priority.”  

The pay raise will come in two phases.  By January 2019, the City will budget an additional $10 million towards compensation for patrolling police and senior police officers. By July 2019, those officers will be brought fully to the competitive benchmark identified within the recent Mercer compensation study.

These increases will be in addition to the initial increase in compensation of 3.1% included in Mayor Bottoms’ first budget introduced earlier this year. The Administration has also committed to reviewing public safety compensation every two years going forward to ensure the department remains competitive.

The Atlanta Police Foundation commissioned a comprehensive market assessment in order to form base pay recommendations for APD’s police ranks. Once the study was complete, Mayor Bottoms convened a series of priority meetings APD, the Atlanta Police Foundation, City of Atlanta officials and other key stakeholders to develop the proposal approved today.  

“On behalf of the citizens of Atlanta, I want to thank Chief Erica Shields and the men and women who have been called to service through public safety. These brave individuals serve as an inspiration and role model for us all and we owe them nothing short of our full support,” concluded Mayor Bottoms.