PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. — Gwinnett County’s largest city is considering creating its own police department and breaking away from the Gwinnett County Police Department, but some neighbors are worried about it increasing their taxes.
City leaders say there is not a major crime wave and there is not a long list of problems they have with Gwinnett County police, but the city is growing so it may be time for them to have their own department.
“There are even instances where we have zero police officers inside our city limits,” Peachtree Corners City Manager Brian Johnson said. “We’re essentially renting police service from the county instead of owning our own department.”
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He told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson that having a city-run department could keep officers in town and improve response times.
“We’ve gotten to a point where we’ve had enough citizen complaints about response times and lack of presence in the city,” he said.
But a Peachtree Corners Police Department would cost an estimated $12.1 million a year, which would mean a tax increase for homeowners.
Johnson says the average homeowner would see an increase of about $70 each year.
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On Thursday night, city leaders held a public town hall to explain the plan and hear from residents about possibly cutting ties with Gwinnett County police.
“Is there a problem? There isn’t. I don’t know why we’re here tonight. If anything, it’d be more efficient to pay them a few more bucks to get a couple more officers over here,” resident Paul Lamont said.
“You got the advantages, the cost is only a tiny bit more, and, boy, do you get a better city and you get more safety,” resident John Wright said.
A vote by the city council is expected toward the end of year or early next year. If approved, the department would not launch before 2029.
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