The DeKalb County Police Department provides police services to the City of Tucker through intergovernmental agreement. “Police services” includes patrols, investigations, traffic enforcement, and other department functions. It does not include 911, EMS, or Fire Rescue. These other services are managed by DeKalb County separately.

There are 67 cities in the 11 County Atlanta Region. Of those 79% operate their own police departments.

53 cities operate their own police departments (79.1%)
6 cities are served by county police (8.9%)
5 cities are served by county sheriff’s offices (7.4%)
3 cities use a combination of county police and a city marshal (4.4%)

Of the five cities using only county police, four incorporated within the last ten years.

Here is a listing of each city by service provider:

Source: Population and city areas, ACS 2023 Demographic Population City.ten 

There are 13 cities in DeKalb County including a portion of the City of Atlanta. Every city except Tucker and Stonecrest operate their own police department.

*Atlanta not included. Police budget for Lithonia not available. 

Source: FY 2025 city budgets. Atlanta Regional Commission City Population Data.

In 2024 DeKalb County collected approximately $15.9 million from property owners in Tucker for police services. In 2025 DeKalb County intends to collect $15.5 million for police services. The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police estimates that Tucker could operate city police department at higher service levels at a an initial cost of approximately $10.7 million annually.

Source: DeKalb County Tax Data March 2025

Local control can enable faster responses due to smaller geography, better resource allocation, higher accountability, and alignment with unique needs and community values. It also increase a sense of local identity with city branding and strong community relationships.

DeKalb County has allocated funding for 841 sworn officers. There are approximately 541 officers on staff, with about 300 vacancies. The department has an annual attrition rate of 10.8%.

Source: DeKalb County police chief out amid efforts to bolster officer recruitment, WABE, February 21, 2025

No. Chamblee, Decatur, and Doraville operate their own 911 systems. Brookhaven and Dunwoody contract for 911 services with ChatComm. 

According to AJC reporting in 2025, DeKalb had the lowest response rate in metro Atlanta. In April 2024, nearly two-thirds of callers waited over 20 seconds. By December, performance improved, but it still lagged behind systems like ChatComm, which answered 96.6% of calls in under 10 seconds. 

Source: How metro Atlanta’s 911 systems evolved after series of tragedies AJC, March 20, 2025

(96.6 % is an internal number remove this or provide a reference)

In 2023 and 2024 DeKalb 911 dispatch times were 4.9x slower than Brookhaven and 4.3x slower than Dunwoody. During the same period the average DeKalb County Police response times in Tucker were 8+ minutes, compared to under 3.5 minutes for these neighboring cities.

DeKalb Fire Rescue would continue to serve Tucker. In Brookhaven and Dunwoody, 911 calls needing DeKalb Fire Rescue, including EMS, are forwarded electronically and through a secondary call from ChatComm to DeKalb County 911. Tucker would likely use a similar dual-process system.

911 is primarily funded by a monthly $1.50 service fee collected on all wireline, wireless, and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephone services within the 911 service area. The Georgia Department of Revenue disburses a portion of these fees monthly to qualifying counties and cities that operate or contract for the operation of a 911 center.

If Tucker were to form a city police department and continue to use DeKalb County for 911, nothing would change. The funds collected for lines of service in Tucker would continue to go to DeKalb County.

If Tucker were to choose to become a qualifying city, or to contract with another 911 service provider like ChatComm, those funds would go to the city or it’s service provider.

For more information on funding for 911 visit: Georgia Emergency Communications Authority.

Misdemeanors in Tucker could be handled by a city solicitor in a city court. This would reduce the workload on the County court and the County Solicitor. It would also enable the City to enforce city specific ordinances. Felonies would still be processed by the DeKalb County District Attorney and Superior Court, since only the County can maintain a District Attorney’s office.

They would be continue to be employed by the DeKalb County Police Department. The reduction in service area and population would reduce the County’s staffing shortage, improving officer to population ratio, and potentially improve response times in unincorporated areas.

No. In 2024, Dekalb County collected approximately $15.9 million in property taxes for police services in Tucker. In 2025 DeKalb County intends to collect $15.5 million for police services. The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police estimates that a police department in Tucker could operate at equal or higher service levels at a base cost is approximately $10.7 million.

Currently, there is no dedicated strategy for policing the city’s emerging trail network or the Tucker Town Green in Downtown Tucker. The DeKalb Police Department does not provide routine trail patrols. A city police department could offer tailored patrol plans for these community assets.

Today the Tucker-Northlake CID provides supplemental patrols of the alleys in Downtown Tucker. These patrols are funded by commercial property owners and are not a long term solution.

The study cost $45,000 and was funded by the Tucker-Northlake CID, Tucker Summit CID, Tucker Civic Association, Tucker Business Association, Tucker Main Street Alliance, Smoke Rise Civic Association, and the Northlake Condominiums.

No. Tucker could follow the example of cities like Brookhaven and use drones. Drones are more cost effective, create less of disturbance, and can be deployed more efficiently and faster.

For more information on the Brookhaven Police Department’s drone program visit Brookhaven Drones.

Tucker would join regional mutual aid agreements with other law enforcement agencies to enhance emergency response capabilities. Mutual aid agreements allow for the sharing of personnel, equipment, and resources between agencies during critical incidents. 

Today events like emergency plane landings on roadways or large highway crashes draw support from multiple jurisdictions. Tucker police would both give and receive such aid.

No. This study was conducted independent of the City of Tucker and DeKalb County. Both were informed of the study before it began and both provided information to the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police that contributed to the analysis.

Creating a city police department in Tucker requires a two-step approval process. First, a majority of City Council members must vote to place the question on a citywide ballot. Then, a majority of voters must approve it in a public referendum.

The GACP study says, “Under no circumstances should the City consider operating their own facility.” Operating a detention facility is a very complex and potentially litigious endeavor. The Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office offers one of the most supportive housing arrangements for police departments of any sheriff’s office in the State. 

Tucker would contract with the DeKalb County Jail, which already provides supportive booking and holding services.

No. In 2024, property owners in Tucker paid $15.9 million to DeKalb County for police services. According to the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the City of Tucker could establish and operate its own professional police department for just $10.3 million. That would leave the city with more than $5.5 million to enhance police staffing, equipment, and operations—all without raising taxes.

Yes. The City Charter grants the authority to establish a police department, but it requires a vote of the residents through a referendum. 

The recommendation for staffing includes 53 sworn officers and 10 civilian personnel, totaling 63 full-time employees.

The average cost is approximately $71,067 per unit, including vehicle and full police equipment. Patrol vehicles would be equipped with lights, sirens, in-car video, laptops, AEDs, crime kits, radios, weapons, and prisoner transport features.

A 12- to 18-month period is typical, accounting for hiring, training, facilities, and procurement.

Yes.

The city should contract with a law enforcement-specific Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) and offer a chaplaincy program.

Yes. Tucker can adopt and enforce its own city ordinances alongside enforcing state law—especially helpful for quality-of-life issues and traffic safety.

In 2024 DeKalb County collected $15.9 million in property taxes in Tucker for police services.

The City Council must vote to place the question on the ballot, and then voters within Tucker city limits must approve it in a public referendum.

Zone integrity means keeping officers assigned to specific geographic areas. It improves familiarity, accountability, and response times—something currently weakened by DeKalb’s rotating staffing model.

Typically, reports of crime increase with new police departments due to an increase in responsiveness. Responsiveness tends to rise with more officers, a smaller, dedicated patrol area, and a stronger focus on local concerns.

Over time, this increase in numbers subsides. It is important to understand that a city police department will not eliminate all issues any more than a city public works department will eliminate the formation of all potholes. What it does mean, based on the experiences of other communities, is that the response to address them tends to be quicker.

No. The cost of a building is not included in the study. Options include leasing or renovating an existing building, negotiating with DeKalb for the Tucker Precinct building, or constructing a new facility as a long-term solution.

In general, commercial areas have more reports of crime than residential neighborhoods. The exception is the Juliette Road area. Based on 911 dispatch data for police and emergency medical services (EMS) in 2023 and 2024, calls for service are disproportionately high when compared to other residential areas.

This comes as no surprise, as data from the Atlanta Regional Commission on Life Expectancy in DeKalb County shows that residents in the Juliette Road area have the lowest life expectancy of any area in DeKalb County, 68.4 years. By contrast, life expectancy on the other side of US 78 in Smoke Rise is 78.9 years.

Due to staffing and geographic limitations this area experiences longer dispatch and travel times, even for high-priority incidents.