Dear Burrell Ellis,

I have been a police officer for DeKalb County for the past five years. In those five years I have done my job and I have done it well. I have never complained about having to work on Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Years Eve or the Fourth of July. I do that so that you, and the citizens of DeKalb, can spend time with your families and not have to worry about your safety.

When you took over as CEO, there was a lot of excitement within the Department of Public Safety. We were all excited about getting rid of Vernon Jones and saw you as a breath of fresh air. We understood that you were thrown into an impossible situation in having to resolve the financial struggles that our County was suffering. Even when our annual 2% raises were discontinued, we knew that it was all for the greater good of the County.

But things have changed recently...and so has our optimism. On Wednesday, July 28, one of our brothers was shot as he was serving the citizens of DeKalb County. Two days later we find out that your receptionist received a $10,000 raise because she "deserved it." Well Mr. CEO, there are over 800 DeKalb officers who deserve a raise much more than your receptionist, and that is the reason for this email. I am requesting that you reinstate the paid holidays for Public Safety employees and give us all a 5% raise across the board. No one deserves it more than we do. On your website www.burrellellis.com you wrote:

"I will achieve a 'real' increase in our police force. To achieve a real increase in our police force, we must not only fill the available positions, but we must significantly lower the attrition rate. The retention of our public safety officers will be my highest priority."

And...

" I will create and implement a DeKalb Public Safety Officers Retention Program. My retention program will require improvements in training, pay and benefits. My retention program will also aim to increase community appreciation of officers."

Mr. CEO, you are failing in these areas. In fact, you have given us more reason to leave DeKalb County and go police somewhere else. How can you expect to increase community appreciation of officers if these same officers feel that you do not appreciate them? I don't ask these questions as an angry employee, I ask them as a concerned citizen of DeKalb County. Both officers and DeKalb citizens think you do not care about us. Prove them wrong. Take a stand for us.

Sincerely,

I'm Ron Burgundy?