Editor:
    This letter is relative to the Statesboro Police Department. I have been a citizen of Statesboro and a criminal justice professor at Georgia Southern University for 25 years. I have worked with both former chief, Stan York, and the current director of public safety, Wendell Turner and consider both professional and personal friends. I am also a recent graduate of the Citizens Police Academy (December 2013).
    Over time, I have witnessed significant changes in the crime rate and the types of crimes being committed in this community. There are now more personal than property crimes and many citizens are fearful about their own well-being. We need to encourage more individuals to serve as police officers in order to help address these problems before they are beyond our community's control.
    I am appalled and embarrassed that the people who are dedicated to keeping us safe — those who leave their residences each working day not knowing if they will return — are paid only $13.40 per hour. Hobby Lobby's minimum pay exceeds this and my housekeeper makes nearly twice as much an hour as the police officers receive. Neither of these latter two jobs involve personal risks. We need to increase the pay that these men and women receive.
    I have at least 10 former students employed by the Statesboro Police Dept., including Director Turner, CERT officer Jake Saxon; rookie of the year (2013) Louis Parker — and a brand new rookie, Jordan Given. Please be assured that none of these individuals are aware that I have a mission to correct this situation.
    I know how difficult it is to recruit good, qualified, educated and professional individuals to serve as our community's "protectors" at such a low level of pay. I salute our officers and hope that I, along with others, can be successful in assisting in change.
Sharon Tracy