Extending the law enforcement presence in Peachtree City in the way that best serves citizens means staffing and equipping a fifth police zone, according to Chief James Murray. That will take hiring eight new officers, the chief said.

That was the top priority announced by Murray at the March 25 City Council retreat. Other prioritized needs included creating a drug intelligence unit, upgrading technology and enhancing the police presence on city golf cart paths.

Expressing the need for the addition of a fifth city police zone and the added seven police officers and one community response team member to staff it, Murray said the Peachtree City Police Department is 39 percent underfunded, based on the number of officers in cities of comparable size.

Peachtree City currently has 57 officers and four civilian personnel to serve a city of 33,810, he said. Population summaries show Dalton, with a population of 31,478, employing 89 officers while Alpharetta, with a population of 34,245, has 87 officers.

Conceptually, the addition of a new zone would essentially put three zones south of Ga. Highway 54 with the remaining two zones north of Hwy. 54. A fifth zone was to be implemented in 1992, Murray said, but that plan has never been accomplished. Murray expressed the current reality of law enforcement in Peachtree City in realistic terms, noting that the city has the same number of patrol officers now as in 2002.

“We’re running out of units so we are holding calls depending on severity,” he explained. “Accidents are at an all-time high. It looks like we’ll hit 1,500 this year and we’re projecting 510 domestic violence calls this year.”

Murray said traffic accidents and many other types of enforcement-related calls tie officers down, preventing their time on patrol. An example of that was drug arrests, the majority of which were made during traffic stops, he said.

“Officers are being dispatched and tied up on calls for so long that they cannot designate as much time to patrols,” Murray said.

Salaries and employee-related expenses for the eight officers designated for the new zone were estimated at $292,902 while the cost of initial equipment and uniform costs was $326,000. The new zone would need one detective to investigate retail and white-collar crime and one staff assistant. The projected cost for these positions totaled $80,042.

The justifications for establishing a fifth zone were numerous. Establishing an additional zone, with a complement of officers, would allow for improved patrol coverage and preventive patrols in two of the city’s busiest zones, Murray said. That will be especially important considering that nearly one million additional square feet of development has already been permitted.

The new zone would improve response to traffic issues along Hwy. 54 and Ga. Highway 74, areas set for future development and road widening, the chief said. The move would also address residential development along MacDuff Parkway and the impact of future development in South Fulton, East Coweta and the TDK extension, he said.

Murray said that, if approved, full implementation of the new zone would take 18-24 months due to the time required to make all the hires and get officers certified. It is a lengthy process, he said.

Adding to the significant amount of discussion that ensued on the idea of adding a fifth zone and the other issues, City Manager Bernie McMullen expressed his belief that the council should put its emphasis on increasing staffing for the department, but without a millage increase. McMullen added that Peachtree City is below the average on taxes and millage rate.

Second on Murray’s priority list was the creation of a drug intelligence unit. Projected costs for the unit would include $83,688 for two drug intelligence officers, $50,981 for one sergeant and $4,800 for initial equipment costs. Murray said the department, as currently configured, does not have the personnel resources to commit to a full-time drug intelligence team.

“Atlanta is the largest drug crossroads in the United States. And Peachtree City has a major problem with drugs and it’s growing every day, especially with meth,” Murray said. “And the presence of drugs will significantly affect the crime rate.”

Murray suggested that, if formed, one of the drug unit agents be assigned to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), thus allowing the city to share in the federal asset forfeiture program.

Murray added that he is an adherent to the “broken window theory” but not to the traditional view of asset forfeiture. The broken window theory, he said, attacks the problem locally and forces drugs out of the immediate area. That approach, combined with stiff bond amounts and penalties, can be an effective tool in reducing drugs in the community, he said.

Commenting on the benefits of a potential drug unit liaison with DEA if or when the unit is organized, Murray was admittedly vague about the topic, except to say that, “it will be asset forfeiture, but on a different level.”

Further down on the list, but nonetheless important, was the need for upgrading law enforcement technology and enhancing patrols on the city’s 80-plus miles of multi-use recreational paths, the chief said. Murray said technology upgrades of mobile data terminals and wireless equipment would cost a minimum of $400,000 while a crime mapping system would cost $12,000 and the purchase of 64 state-band radios would cost $86,400. These items are needed, but that need is outweighed by that of establishing a fifth police zone, he said.

Also needed but offering numerous challenges was increased patrols on the city’s estimated 80-plus miles of golf cart paths. The cost of hiring four path patrol officers, two officers for eight hours of patrol per day, would be $167,376. Initial uniform and equipment costs would be $6,400 and another $16,000 for patrol vehicles. The numbers and the funding increase significantly if two shifts are included.

But even with eight officers patrolling the path system 16 hours each day, those patrols would only include the top 25 percent of the major cart path areas that are used extensively each day, Murray said.