STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — At a July 20 meeting held in a room filled with dozens of police officers and public safety officials, Stone Mountain Memorial Association Chairman Michael Owens denied that the police force would be defunded or disbanded.
The speculation came from a social media post claiming Stone Mountain Park would be significantly defunding its police and rescue departments, dropping law enforcement down to “below minimal staffing levels or using cheap unarmed security.”
The post was supported by a statement from Bob Hillis, president of the DeKalb County Fraternal Order of Police. The group is the local chapter of an organization that advocates for law enforcement. Hillis based his statement on conversations he had with members of the park’s police force. He said officers have been quietly encouraged to seek employment elsewhere.
The Stone Mountain Memorial Association is the state authority managing Stone Mountain Park and is made up of governor-appointed board members and led by Chief Executive Bill Stephens.
The rumored change stems from Stone Mountain Park switching operators from Thrive SMP to Stone Mountain Hospitality LLC, a subsidiary of Aramark Destinations. Hillis delivered a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp’s office informing the governor’s staff of what he heard from park police.
In the meeting, Stephens said that the change in operators was due to Thrive SMP not producing the financial or operational results needed for the park. He also said its long-term contract had limited the SMMA’s flexibility for making changes.
“When the prior operator ultimately elected to conclude the agreement, it gave us a significant and much-needed opportunity to move in a new direction, and that’s where we are today,” Stephens said.
The change, however, comes with the SMMA looking at ways to further reduce costs and “evolve to meet changing demands and human realities.”
“For many months, we’ve been taking a careful look at every aspect of the association’s operations,” he said. “This has never been simply about reducing costs. Like every organization, we have to evolve to meet the changing demands and human realities. SMMA is no exception to that.”
Stephens later stated that the association will present a comprehensive overview of its internal discussions on Aug. 17. The presentation will include the association’s operational strengths and areas for improvement. That analysis that will lead to future decisions, he noted.
“We’re taking a thoughtful and deliberate approach to these decisions,” Stephens said. “Until we complete that work and have a comprehensive plan in place, it wouldn’t be appropriate to speculate about specific operational or staffing changes. Talking publicly about incomplete plans can only create unnecessary confusion and concern for our employees, our stakeholders and the public.”
According to the online police recruiting resource Discover Policing, Stone Mountain typically has around 19 officers.
Public comment was limited to five speakers for three minutes each, and three of the five discussed the alleged police defunding, urging the association to reconsider any potential change in policing.
“Reductions in force that reduce our police department and our ability to protect the public, not just inside the park but outside the park as well, would be penny wise and dollar foolish,” speaker Clint Monroe said. “Keep our police department. We need them for a lot of reasons.”
Following the public comment session, board member Angie Johnson asked Chairman Michael Owens point-blank whether the park police would be defunded or disbanded. Owens responded, denying the rumor, and said that the SMMA wants to increase the department’s investment.
“We are not disbanding the police department. We are not defunding it …” Owens said. “To be clear, I made that statement last month. It continues to remain true that we are not ending our police department. Absolutely not.”
The crowd of police officers then applauded. No votes or motions were made regarding the public safety department and personnel, and Stephens indicated that the matter would be brought back up for discussion at the Aug. 17 meeting.
This story was provided by WABE media partner Decaturish.
