Stun Guns and Take-Home Cruisers May Be Added to Atlanta Law Enforcement Budget

In addition to expanding the police force by some eight hundred officers and raising their pay by twenty-four percent, Chief Executive Officer-elect Burrell Ellis wants to provide every officer with stun guns and take-home cruisers equipped with dashboard cameras.

The price tag for everything Ellis wants to add weighs in at a hefty $25 million dollars. So far, the county commission has approved including some pay raises and the addition of 127 additional officers in the 2008 budget. What happens for regarding the rest is anybody’s guess, though Police Chief Terrell Bolton has vowed to keep on pushing for officers and equipment he believes to be essential in providing protection for Atlanta’s citizenry.

Outgoing CEO Vernon Jones hired Bolton following a rash of controversies in DeKalb County, especially regarding a dozen suspects who were killed by police in 2006. Bolton, formerly a Dallas, Texas police chief, ruffled feathers shortly after his arrival in 2007. He complained that the county commission did not keep pace with what he believed to be the necessary consideration of his proposals, which are geared for improving the effectiveness and safety of the police force.

Bolton’s Road to Success Action Plan includes the immediate purchase of stun guns, specifically Tasers, and dashboard cameras, both of which have significant track records.