Congratulations and job well done to the new DeKalb C.E.O., Lorraine Cochran-Johnson. In the short time she has been in office, she has attempted to address and fix problems within the police department, including leadership and morale issues, as well as pay discrepancies and manpower issues.  

Instead of coming in on a power trip and making decisions just because she is in charge, she asks questions. She reaches out to state and other local agencies to learn how the interworkings of a police department function before she makes a new rule or implements a new policy. This is what real leaders and decision makers do; we are hearing a lot of positive feedback from officers in the department, from line level to the public safety director.  

C.E.O. Johnson is bringing back good, qualified officers who retired or just left during Chief Ramos's tenure. During the Michael Thurmond / Mirtha Ramos administration, DeKalb police lost more officers than any administration in the history of the department. Thurmond and Ramos were, without a doubt, the worst thing to ever happen to DeKalb County government and the citizens of the county as well.

When they took office, DeKalb police had over 800 sworn officers, and when they left, they were down to 400 sworn officers. The morale was at an all-time low, and the department was imploding.  

C.E.O.  Lorraine Cochran-Johnson has taken huge steps in correcting all these problems and is moving the department in the right direction. We are looking forward to seeing what else she has planned for DeKalb County first responders and the citizens of DeKalb.