DeKalb Proposes Spending $52.4M In Federal Money On Public Safety

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — DeKalb County will get $147.26 million in federal relief money from the American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Biden signed into law earlier this year. Of that total, DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond proposed spending $52.4 million on public safety.

The county already received about $73 million, or roughly half, of its ARP allocation. Thurmond unveiled his draft plan for how to spend that money — with more than $20.5 million going into reserves — during the DeKalb Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday.

Commissioners still have to approve the plan, which was not on Tuesday's agenda. Thurmond said the spike in crime and violence in DeKalb County over the last year warrants additional spending in the public safety sector.

“There’ll be other things that we do, but you have to prioritize your strategies, " he said during the meeting. "Public safety is our top priority in this plan.”

RELATED: DeKalb County To Receive $147.26M From COVID-19 Relief Bill

Thurmond's proposal includes $3,000 "protect and serve retention bonuses" for roughly 2,300 public safety employees, and $2,000 bonuses for non-public safety, full-time employees — totaling over $16 million in just bonuses.

The county would also spend more than $250,000 in "violence interruption" programs and training, as well as additional investments in the court system for

Other public safety allocations from the proposed plan include:

• $267,100 for violence interruption programs, including $240,000 for a gun violence reduction strategy with John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York
• $520,500 for personnel, including:
  • $180,000 for three additional "mobile crisis nurses" to help respond to mental health issues in the county (DeKalb has one already on staff)
  • $140,000 for four domestic violence victim advocates
• $791,250 for equipment, including:
  • $278,000 for a new mobile precinct for deployment in area hotspots
  • $150,000 for 25 FLOCK security cameras in high crime areas
  • $180,000 to construct a building for police agility training tests (the county was previously using the gym at a neighboring community center, but will no longer be able to do so starting in June)
• $505,000 for the DeKalb Police Athletic League (PAL), in which police officers guide and mentor youth, including $250,000 for a new facility

Additionally, Thurmond's plan includes almost $2.2 million in caseload backlog relief for DeKalb's court system, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This money also covers new software, equipment and additional staff — including attorneys, investigators and victim advocates "to combat the rise in domestic violence cases in the county."

The court system would also get $1 million for "violence interruption" programs, in addition to the public safety department. According to the plan, this includes expanding accountability programs for youth offenders and establishing a strategy with the DeKalb County School District to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.

The community service board would also get $1 million to help address mental health issues.

Other expenses in the plan include:

• $10.5 million for commissioners to develop COVID-19 initiatives in their respective districts
• $5 million for water and sewer-related initiatives
• $3 million to address food insecurity
• $1 million for small business grants
• $2 million in a WorkSource DeKalb initiative to help people who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic

“If you want to invest in our community, I think it’s important to invest in our public safety personnel and give them the tools that they need so they can put their best foot forward,” DeKalb County police chief Mirtha Ramos said during Tuesday's meeting.

You can view Thurmond's presentation in video form here. Scroll to the 26:40 mark for the start of the presentation.