OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Johns Creek City Council Work Session - Police Budget Presentation - November 3, 2025

City Council — Monday, November 3, 2025
BodyJohns Creek, Georgia
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, November 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:22:38

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Thank you, Mayor.

0:02

We are recording.

0:04

I would like to call this meeting of our work session for the John Street City Council Order at 5 p.m.

0:10

on November 3rd.

0:12

Would you lead the pledge for us?

0:13

Be happy to the flag in the United States of America.

0:22

And to republic for which it stands one nation under God and the visible with labor standard justice.

0:34

Mayor Shermarks.

0:36

None.

0:36

Thank you.

0:37

Thank you.

0:37

The first item under strategic priorities is the police budget presentation, and we have Chief Mitchell for presentation this evening.

0:58

Oh, uh Mayor Council, thank you for this opportunity.

1:04

Police department namely, and um I appreciate the chance to come in and speak and answer questions.

1:09

So I'm open to any questions you may have about our uh FY26 budget presentation.

1:30

Uh all right.

1:31

Sorry, I was expecting a little bit more uh presentation, but I like succinct.

1:35

That's good.

1:36

Oh, I uh I can uh I can definitely uh present.

1:39

That's great.

1:40

That's great.

1:41

Uh Chief, my biggest uh question I had, just uh you know, there's been discussion about you know just crime rates uh in the city.

1:49

Uh can you go into that a little bit?

1:51

Just are they up?

1:54

Uh as as it relates to as it relates to our budget, our sole um our sole focus on the budget process uh was not just was not just the crime rates.

2:04

Um as I shared in our budget memorandum, you know, some of our crime uh is up, our entering autos um were up, uh burglaries were down, uh so that's good to report.

2:13

Um accidents were up.

2:15

Um our thefts were up as well, but uh our our um uh felony crimes as it relates to uh violent crimes, those were down, which it's good to report as well.

2:26

But um were up, some are down, um it's kind of an ebb and flow uh um uh for the year.

2:33

So we focused on that.

2:35

We focused on our special events and the number of special events uh uh as it relate as all in addition to our crime rates and our officer decision ratio.

2:44

So there are a number of factors that went into uh the budget preparation other than just the uh the crime stats, if that makes sense.

2:51

Yes, yes, sir.

2:52

Um so obviously last year we set up the crime suppression unit.

2:57

Yes, sir.

2:57

Uh can you tell us a little bit more about how that's been going?

3:00

Going well.

3:01

Uh staffed in in June.

3:02

Um the real-time information center with Intel detective there was staffed in June as well.

3:07

Um in fact, I just sent a um uh I just got a strategic uh intel report for the month of uh of October uh from the uh from the unit um going well.

3:17

Um they've made uh a lot of arrests.

3:19

Um uh they've also I I would I would glad to report um on as far as our entering autos, they really made a focus on that over the summer and were able to uh effective arrest and clear about um I want to say it was 10 to 15, I can't own the specific number, but 10 to 15 are in autos and arrested a suspect um out of the Atlanta area for that.

3:40

Um so uh it's working.

3:43

They're always out here.

3:44

Um again, blue lights stop crime, and uh they really are focused on our areas where we have some trends and patterns on criminal activity.

3:52

So I think the guys uh led by Sergeant uh Montero, they're doing a really good job.

3:56

And what did you say trends and patterns?

3:58

Trends and okay, well that's great.

4:01

Um I've got several.

4:05

Uh so regarding emergency calls, and we've had a couple of things that have been you know brought some serious attention lately.

4:16

Um how do our response times to emergency calls compare with the national average and just how do you think we're doing in that regard?

4:26

I think we're doing well in the uh within the national average.

4:28

I do have a handout if you if uh like for me to pass that around as far as our um how our call higher high and low priority calls are broken down for the month of September.

4:37

I don't know you may just give that to you.

4:40

Okay.

4:40

I probably need one.

4:42

So we have one may have one of them back, I'm sorry.

4:44

Thank you.

4:47

Oh, you're fine.

4:51

I think we're we're we're well within the national average.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████62%
Budget Equity Analysis███████9%
Emergency Medical Services██████8%
Personnel Matters████6%
Technology and Innovation████5%
Capital Improvement Plan████5%
Procedural███4%
Workforce Development█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Johns Creek City Council Work Session - Police Budget Presentation - November 3, 2025

The Johns Creek City Council held a work session on November 3, 2025, at 5:00 PM to discuss the Police Department's budget for FY2026. Chief Mitchell presented the department's priorities, which included funding for four unfunded officer positions, a command vehicle, and a drone program. The discussion covered crime statistics, response times, staffing challenges, and future planning. No formal votes were taken during the work session.

Discussion Items

  • Crime Statistics: Chief Mitchell reported that entering autos, accidents, and thefts were up compared to the previous year, while burglaries and violent crimes were down. He described the crime trends as an "ebb and flow."
  • Response Times: For September 2025, the overall average response time was 1 minute and 28 seconds, calculated from dispatch to arrival. Dispatch incidents averaged 5 minutes and 16 seconds. The department handled 4,481 calls for the month.
  • Crime Suppression Unit: Staffed in June 2025, the unit has made progress, including arrests clearing 10 to 15 entering auto cases. The unit is led by Sergeant Montero and uses the Real-Time Information Center.
  • Unfunded Officer Positions: The council previously approved four additional officer positions but did not fund them. Chief Mitchell requested funding for these positions, noting that three officers are currently in the academy and are expected to graduate in November 2025, with field training complete by spring 2026. He intends to request four more officers in FY2027 as part of a multi-year strategic plan.
  • Specialized Assignment Pay: A proposal to provide a pay bump for officers in specialized roles (e.g., detectives, narcotics, traffic) was discussed. Chief Mitchell argued the additional training and experience justify the pay differential.
  • Command Vehicle: The department is exploring a new command vehicle, potentially funded partly through asset forfeiture. Chief Mitchell noted that prices have changed and he is considering new options rather than a used county vehicle.
  • Drone Program: The department currently has a robust drone program, but Chief Mitchell presented a tier-three request for a Drone First Responder (DFR) program. He emphasized the need for further research and said technology is evolving rapidly. He is considering tethered drones for events and critical incidents and expects to request full funding in FY2027 or FY2028.
  • Pay Adjustment: Chief Mitchell had requested a 3.3% public safety pay adjustment to bring salaries in line with similar cities, but it was not approved in the budget process. The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) was set at 2.7%.
  • Medical Incident at Northview High School: Council discussed a medical emergency on October 31, 2025, during a football game. City staff reported that fire responded in 7 minutes 30 seconds, and AMR (ambulance) arrived within 14.5 minutes of dispatch, meeting the service level agreement. The patient was treated on the field for 11 minutes before transport. Council requested follow-up on any delays in the 911 call processing at ChatCom.
  • Staffing Vacancies: The department currently has seven vacancies (including the four unfunded positions). Chief Mitchell stated conditional offers have been made to candidates, but the hiring process is intense. He emphasized the need to maintain 10 officers per shift and is using attrition savings to fund the unfunded positions.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes or decisions were made during the work session. The council will continue budget deliberations.
  • The city manager will follow up on the Northview High School incident timeline, including ChatCom call processing times.
  • Chief Mitchell committed to presenting updated cost estimates for the command vehicle and drone program in future budget cycles.
  • The council acknowledged the importance of planning for future staffing and technology needs, with some members expressing support for additional officers and the drone program.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you, Mayor. We are recording. I would like to call this meeting of our work session for the John Street City Council Order at 5 p.m. on November 3rd. Would you lead the pledge for us? Be happy to the flag in the United States of America. And to republic for which it stands one nation under God and the visible with labor standard justice. Mayor Shermarks. None. Thank you. Thank you. The first item under strategic priorities is the police budget presentation, and we have Chief Mitchell for presentation this evening. Oh, uh Mayor Council, thank you for this opportunity. Police department namely, and um I appreciate the chance to come in and speak and answer questions. So I'm open to any questions you may have about our uh FY26 budget presentation. Uh all right. Sorry, I was expecting a little bit more uh presentation, but I like succinct. That's good. Oh, I uh I can uh I can definitely uh present. That's great. That's great. Uh Chief, my biggest uh question I had, just uh you know, there's been discussion about you know just crime rates uh in the city. Uh can you go into that a little bit? Just are they up? Uh as as it relates to as it relates to our budget, our sole um our sole focus on the budget process uh was not just was not just the crime rates. Um as I shared in our budget memorandum, you know, some of our crime uh is up, our entering autos um were up, uh burglaries were down, uh so that's good to report. Um accidents were up. Um our thefts were up as well, but uh our our um uh felony crimes as it relates to uh violent crimes, those were down, which it's good to report as well. But um were up, some are down, um it's kind of an ebb and flow uh um uh for the year. So we focused on that. We focused on our special events and the number of special events uh uh as it relate as all in addition to our crime rates and our officer decision ratio. So there are a number of factors that went into uh the budget preparation other than just the uh the crime stats, if that makes sense. Yes, yes, sir. Um so obviously last year we set up the crime suppression unit. Yes, sir. Uh can you tell us a little bit more about how that's been going? Going well. Uh staffed in in June. Um the real-time information center with Intel detective there was staffed in June as well. Um in fact, I just sent a um uh I just got a strategic uh intel report for the month of uh of October uh from the uh from the unit um going well. Um they've made uh a lot of arrests. Um uh they've also I I would I would glad to report um on as far as our entering autos, they really made a focus on that over the summer and were able to uh effective arrest and clear about um I want to say it was 10 to 15, I can't own the specific number, but 10 to 15 are in autos and arrested a suspect um out of the Atlanta area for that. Um so uh it's working. They're always out here. Um again, blue lights stop crime, and uh they really are focused on our areas where we have some trends and patterns on criminal activity. So I think the guys uh led by Sergeant uh Montero, they're doing a really good job. And what did you say trends and patterns? Trends and okay, well that's great. Um I've got several. Uh so regarding emergency calls, and we've had a couple of things that have been you know brought some serious attention lately.

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