Dubbed Brunswick First in the statement, the package tackles a staffing shortage at the Brunswick Police Department and Brunswick Fire Department from several directions.
“In addition to a substantial hourly pay raise for both Brunswick fire and police departments, Brunswick First aims to also add a $1,200 to $1,500 annual stipend for either rent or mortgage for those safety officials who make Brunswick their home, locks in a yearly 2-3% cost of living adjustment and ensures that we are doing quarterly needs assessments at the commission level of each department,” the statement says.
City spokesman Tyler Lewis said the commission was still hashing out the details of the hourly pay raise and was not prepared to share information on it Thursday morning.
“This investment comes on the heels of significant financial support for our safety officials over the past two years where we have seen Brunswick’s commission do what is needed to build a modern safety force,” Johnson said.
The prior commission raised officer salaries, awarded bonuses and began allowing officers to take their vehicles home in 2020 but, the statement reads, “What our commission understands is that to build the next generation of first responders and community leaders we have to do more than raise their pay.”
Making the city safer and supporting police are among the commission’s major focuses, the statement says. But with two new members of the commission — Johnson and Commissioner Kendra Rolle — taking office in January, the governing body is reevaluating how it meets that goal, the statement says.
Along with keeping pay competitive, the city hopes to create “innovative retention packages and plans and (incentivize) our (firefighters) and officers to call Brunswick home.” Brunswick First is the first pass at this goal.
There are other considerations, including how to sustain a pay raise long-term and recruitment, not just retention.
“Attracting the best and brightest talent to our community will take more than just dollars; it will take a comprehensive plan that says our community is investing in you, your safety and your success. That is exactly what this phase of Brunswick First is doing,” the statement reads.
The issue of attracting and keeping officers is not unique to Brunswick. While not quite to the degree the city police are experiencing, the Glynn County Police Department is also facing a staff shortage.
City Commissioner Johnny Cason believes a nationwide staffing shortage and negative perceptions of policing are in large part to blame. Neither police officer nor firefighter appears to be popular career choices for young people, he added.
“I don’t want to wear a gun. Do you?” Cason said to emphasize his point.
Commissioner Rolle and Mayor Pro Tem Felicia Harris did not return requests for comment on the police staffing issue. Commissioner Julie Martin directed The News back to Cosby’s statement.
The announcement comes as city and county officials discuss what is potentially the worst shortage of police officers to date and the possibility of bringing in Glynn County Police Department officers to fill in the gaps in patrol shifts. Mutual aid agreements between the city and county allow county police to operate in city jurisdiction, but county police do not typically patrol the streets within city limits.
County commissioners support the idea despite being short a dozen or so officers in the GCPD.
“Law enforcement and policing is a challenge all over the country,” said county Commissioner David O'Quinn, who serves on the county’s Police Advisory Panel. “We’re not the only ones dealing with this, and neither is the city. It will take some imaginative solutions.”
Part of the reason the city struggles to keep staff is that the GCPD generally pays better, said Commissioner Walter Rafolski.
“I’m not really happy that the raise for county cops put them well above the city, but the county cops needed raises as the city cops do,” Rafolski said.
County Commissioner Sammy Tostensen said he’s long heard that the city has trouble filling the midnight shift, and even with the county’s own staffing issues he believes it could find the personnel to help.
“I think we should always help our other law enforcement brothers when they’re having problems,” Tostensen said. “... Our numbers are still down, but I think we’re going to close that gap in the near future.”
County Commissioner Bill Brunson, whose district includes a small slice of the city, felt the issue should be addressed sooner rather than later, potentially with a complete consolidation of the police and fire departments — an unpopular idea among city commissioners.
“If the city police department is in as dire straits as it’s indicated, they are bordering on not being able to provide the safety for the citizens of the city,” Brunson said. “You just can’t have that lack of police and maintain safety.”
Glynn County already provides ambulance coverage and emergency medical services for the city and manages all parks and recreation programs — although city officials have expressed a desire to take back control of the parks after it was handed to the county in 2013.
One of Brunson’s goals when running for office was to consolidate city and county governments, seeing it as a way to improve the efficiency of local government and reduce the burden on city taxpayers.
He suspects for most people there’s no clear delineation between the two, to begin with. The boundaries are so blurred at times it confuses even him.
During his first race for the county commission post, Brunson said he campaigned in the neighboring District 5, which sits directly on top of the city.
Standing on the opposite side of the issue is District 5 County Commissioner Allen Booker.
Bringing county police into the city to cover patrols on a temporary basis is something he’s willing to entertain, but Booker said he would be “totally against” consolidating governments or police.
“It’s not needed, and I think us working together like we have been, especially this commission, we’ve had some valleys, but a lot of mountaintops I think,” Booker said. “I felt very comfortable working with this commission and they’ve been pushing for a very good working relationship with the city.”
While that debate is not likely to be settled anytime soon, the county is willing to help in the short term should the city need it.
“I don’t see where there’s a question mark,” Rafolski said.
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