Starting salaries for all are under $40,000
Residents of Fayette County are known for praising the exemplary efforts of local law enforcement officers and firefighters. What might go unnoticed is that only one in three working in Fayette live in Fayette, and that starting wages in those professions are all below $40,000.
The Citizen took a look at where the people who protect us and our property call home. The following information was received through Open Records requests to all Fayette governments.
There are a total of 593 police officers and firefighters (including ranking officers) employed in Fayette County. Of those, 33.7 percent live in Fayette County and 36 percent live in Coweta County, while the remaining 30.3 percent reside in more than a dozen counties across the region. Viewed in total, starting salaries range from $33,952 to $38,609.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office employs 206 officers in the jail, as deputies and ranking officers. Of those, 70 staff members, or 34 percent, live in Fayette County; 49 members, or 24 percent, live in Coweta County; and 91 employees, or 42 percent, live in 10 other area counties.
A breakdown of officers showed that 38 percent of detention officers, 36 percent of road deputies and 29 percent of officers of all ranks from corporal to major and investigators live in Fayette. The remaining staff live in 11 other counties.
Fayette County Fire and Emergency Services employs 129 firefighters. Of those, 32 employees, or 25 percent, live in Fayette while 45, or 35 percent, live in Coweta. The remaining 52 employees, or 40 percent. residing in 14 other counties. In terms of the 33 ranking officers, 48 percent reside in Fayette.
Peachtree City has 155 full-time and part-time personnel employed in its police and fire departments. Of those, 53 employees, or approximately 34 percent, live in Fayette County. The remaining 102 employees, representing 66 percent, live in other counties. Of total employees, 77, or nearly 50 percent, live in Coweta County while the remaining 16 percent, or 25 employees, live in 13 other counties.
Of the 155 public safety employees, 69 are ranking officers with either the police or fire rescue departments. Of that number, 18 supervising officers, or 26 percent, live in Fayette while the remaining 74 percent reside in other counties.
Fayetteville leads the county and its municipalities in the percentage of public safety employees living in Fayette County. Of the 89 police officers and firefighters employed by the city, 40 of those employees, or 45 percent, reside in Fayette while 37 percent live in Coweta and 18 percent reside in 10 other counties.
Of Fayetteville’s 33 ranking officers in the two departments, 14 of those, or 42 percent, reside in Fayette with an equal number living in Coweta.
Tyrone has 14 officers in its police department. Five of those, or 39.5 percent reside in Fayette County while six officers, or 43 percent, live in Coweta. The remaining three personnel reside in three surrounding counties.
Pertaining to ranking officers in the Tyrone department, the same statistics held true, with 39.5 percent residing in Fayette.
The Citizen requested the entry level salaries for both law enforcement officers and firefighters across the county. Those included:
• Fayette County Sheriff’s Office — $38,609
• Fayette County Fire and Emergency Services — $38,609
• Peachtree City Police Dept. — $36,420
• Peachtree City Fire Dept. — $38,273 (based on 2,808 hours per year)
• Fayetteville Police Dept. — $33,952
• Fayetteville Fire Dept. — $33,952
• Tyrone Police Dept. — $35,338
It goes without saying that public safety staff do receive increases in pay as their service continues over the years and some become ranking officers. Yet the data shows that those pay increases do not equate to living in Fayette since only 33.7 percent of all public safety employees do so as was indicated above. While some law enforcement officers prefer to live in an area other than where they work, conversations with public safety staff tell a different tale.
Conversations with various public safety employees by The Citizen revealed an aspect of the choice of county of residence that might not be apparent to some in the community. It was noted above that more public safety employees live in Coweta County (36 percent) than in Fayette (33.7 percent). A question to approximately 40 police and firefighters living in Coweta asked why they moved to Coweta and why, years later, they still live there.
Whether relatively new or long-time with their respective agencies, the 40 surveyed over the past several years said they moved to Coweta because they could not afford home prices in Fayette, citing variables such as lower prices for virtually the same house, larger lots and cheaper taxes. Most long-term employees, those now making a larger salary, said they remain in Coweta because they established there, began having children and like the area.
It should be noted that there are a large number of local governments, especially those outside metro areas, with pay rates significantly lower than Fayette. It is also of note that many in public safety work two or more jobs to make up the difference in pay that comes with working in the field.
