Local & State Headlines

Dougherty police pay leaves agency short

• Albany police pay hikes leave Dougherty office earning thousands less.

Susan McCord

ALBANY — Six years ago, Dougherty County Police officers earned an average of $5,000 more a year than their City of Albany counterparts. Today, the situation is reversed, and Dougherty officers say the discrepancy may send experienced personnel to better-paying jobs.

“The old saying is true, you get what you pay for,” said Dougherty police lieutenant Michael Wood, an eight-year veteran of the Dougherty police force. “We will continue to lose officers and will not have as quality of candidates to replace them.”

The county police force’s numbers have dwindled to about five regular officers on patrol per shift, just as wages have started lagging behind those of Albany and other similar cities’ police forces.

The lowest starting salary for a Dougherty patrol officer is $25,854, while the lowest salary for an Albany officer is $31,886, according to information provided by both departments.

Moving on up the ranks, an Albany police lieutenant earns a minimum of $42,813, while a Dougherty lieutenant earns $36,400.

The county force doesn’t have salaried officers comparable to Albany’s police captains and majors, who earn in the range of $46,595-$70,286 and $55,127-$83,155, respectively.

The Albany Police Department also offers a number of pay incentives — for education, specialized certifications, prior service or service in specialized units, said police spokesman Lt. Kenn Singleton.

The City of Albany began raising officers’ pay two years ago, “when the city commission began this process of trying to bring our city police officers’ salaries into a competitive range. We’ve been filling the ranks successfully, to the point there are no vacancies,” said Albany Assistant City Manager Wes Smith.

The city force numbers about 190 sworn officers and 30 support personnel, he said.

Meanwhile, the public doesn’t understand just how few county officers are working to cover unincorporated Dougherty County, home to 18,189 residents, and how that number may grow fewer, Wood said.

The Dougherty force numbers at most, 50, including two dozen patrol officers, six detectives and a handful of HEAT traffic officers — most of whom believed, especially after a recent salary study aided by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government that their wages would soon approach those in Albany, said Wood.

“Everybody’s ticked, especially a lot of the guys who came over from the city because they liked the atmosphere here,” he said. “I’m looking for a lot of people to head out of here.”

Wood said he wasn’t speaking for Dougherty Police Chief Don Cheek or the department, but merely expressing the opinion of a county resident, employee and taxpayer.

Cheek did not respond a call requesting comment Tuesday.

Responding to comments from Dougherty Sheriff Jamil Saba Monday, Dougherty Commissioners indicated their decision to lower the county’s millage rate — by .75 mills in Albany and 1.25 mills in unincorporated Dougherty County — cost county employees any increase in pay.

Dougherty police handle all law enforcement calls in unincorporated areas along the margins of Dougherty County, such as Monday’s shooting on Nelms Road, near Putney. They also have jurisdiction inside Albany city limits.

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