Roswell Police Department Enters New Year Fully-Staffed

Press release from the Roswell Police Department:

Jan. 6, 2023

The Roswell Police Department is proud to announce that it has zero (0) vacancies for sworn police officers, and is operating at full authorized strength of 160 officers for the first time in 20 years.

At a time when hiring has proved a nationwide difficulty, Roswell’s Mayor and Council and Police Chief James Conroy have made recruitment and retention of high-quality police officers a top priority. Over the course of 2022, the Roswell Police Department hired 36 new police officers, 23 of which come to Roswell with exemplary prior service and experience at other agencies.

“When this new Mayor and Council were elected last year, public safety was our number one priority. One of the first things we did was approve best-in-class pay for our police officers,” Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson said. “We are committed to recruiting and retaining the best police officers in the state for the safety of our residents and visitors. Zero vacancies for sworn police officers in Roswell proves the steps we have taken in the last year are working.”

“Despite the pervasive challenges in public safety recruiting, we have never compromised our hiring standards,” said Chief Conroy. “I’m extremely impressed with the high-caliber officers we have brought onto our team this year, and I know that the Roswell community will be equally impressed.”

The support of the Roswell community has played a significant role in drawing quality candidates. In July of last year, Mayor Wilson and City Council passed “Best in Class” police pay, providing a 20% increase to starting salaries across the board, and raising salaries for current officers up to 20% as well. In November, Roswell residents overwhelmingly passed a $52 million Public Safety bond, $23 million of which will fund a new Public Safety Headquarters bringing Police, Fire, and E911 all under one roof.

While currently fully staffed, the Roswell Police Department is anticipating future retirements and transfers, and will be maintaining an eligibility list for qualified police officer candidates. Those interested can apply at www.policeapp.com/roswellga.

This press release was produced by the Roswell Police Department. The views expressed here are the author's own.