Community Q&A: How will you support police while protecting civil rights and equal treatment for all?
At our Turn Up the Volume Woodstock Town Hall on September 17, one of the most important questions was about public safety:
Q: How will you support police while protecting civil rights and equal treatment for all?
A:
Woodstock is fortunate to have a professional, community-oriented police department. Our officers are neighbors, coaches, and volunteers, not strangers. But trust in policing has to be earned every day — not just by showing up, but by showing fairness.
Here’s the balance I believe in:
Support officers with resources. Public safety is the city’s single largest investment. In FY2024, Woodstock spent about $15.2 million on police and fire combined — nearly double the $8.7 million from 2015. Our police fleet has grown from 56 to 80 patrol units in that time. That kind of funding makes sure officers have the staffing, vehicles, and training they need. I’ll keep pushing for de-escalation and crisis intervention training, which keeps everyone safer.
Transparency builds trust. Woodstock PD uses body-worn cameras, but the reports behind them — like use-of-force data and traffic stop demographics — are not easy for residents to find. I’ll fight to make this data public and understandable. Transparency protects officers from false claims and protects citizens from unfair treatment.
Equal treatment under the law. Every person — no matter their race, religion, gender, or background — deserves the same respect and protection. Cherokee County’s overall crime rate is low, but public trust requires proving that rights are applied equally and consistently.
Community partnerships. Our police already run community policing programs, but officers are often asked to carry too much. Calls involving mental health, addiction, or youth conflict can be better handled when social workers and mental health professionals are part of the response team. Cities across the country are piloting programs that pair trained clinicians with police for non-violent calls. I’ll advocate for exploring those models here in Woodstock, starting with small-scale pilots in partnership with local nonprofits and health providers.
Accountability protects everyone. Woodstock’s clearance rate — cases solved or closed by arrest — has fallen from about 41% in 2020 to 32% in 2024. That doesn’t mean officers are doing less work; it reflects the reality that as a city grows, caseloads get more complex and crimes become harder to investigate. But it’s a reminder that more funding alone isn’t enough. We need strong community trust, smarter technology, and open reporting to keep those numbers from slipping further.
Supporting police and protecting rights aren’t opposites — they go hand in hand. A safe Woodstock is one where every neighbor knows the law protects them equally.
