The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is putting some newly received grant money to work to help beef up its ranks of police and communications officers.
The department recently received a $1.65 million grant from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget to provide hiring incentives for new officers. New hires could receive a hiring bonus of $10,000.
ACCPD is authorized to have 256 sworn officers, although the department has seen staffing shortages in recent years. Starting salary for new police officers is some $53,700 per year.