According to a 2017 study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, many of Georgia’s police officers and bailiffs are on food stamps.
The report claims that the reason so many Georgia police officers and bailiffs qualify for food stamps is because they are so lowly paid. The average annual deputy pay statewide is $29,900, according to the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. Some barely make $20,000.
Governor Nathan Deal and the legislature gave a 20 percent raise to members of the Georgia State Patrol earlier this year, bringing starting pay to $46,422. After seeing this done for state troopers, the Georgia Sheriffs Association is advocating for raising the starting pay of all police officers and sheriff’s deputies in the state to $46,000.
However, the issue is that most cops and deputies are paid by their local city or county government, not by the state. So, increasing the salaries for local police officers and deputies would mean raising taxes in those communities.