MARIETTA, Ga. — Last week, Interim Chief David Beam was sworn in as chief of the Marietta Police Department.
“My goal is for (the people) to be safe and served,” said Chief Beam, when answering what his goal is for the Marietta community.
As for the department, the chief said his focus is on recruitment and retention.
“We’ve hired a great deal of new officers and civilian employees,” Beam said. "The number one goal going forward is making sure they're trained properly and that they learn the Marietta way of policing."
The Marietta Police Department reported it had 29 openings for police officers in January, which is also when now Chief Beam stepped in as interim chief of the Marietta Police Department.
Beam said, come July 1, 2024, the department will be fully staffed.
“That’s a ton of new officers that we have to train to make sure that they know what they’re doing on the road,” Beam explained, adding the field training officers are going to stay busy over the next couple of months.
Beam said the new officers are expected to start patrol in November.
Having a fully staffed police department isn’t common right now, Beam admitted.
“It’s a difficult time to hire in police work,” he said, which is why he said there has been a huge emphasis on recruiting from the department since January. “You name it, we’ve done everything we can."
The chief added they’re not only focusing on recruiting but also retention. Beam said he made it a point to sit down with everyone employed at the department to hear what they thought could be improved. Beam said he believes open communication will add to retention.