MARIETTA, GA — The Cobb County Police Department comes from “humble beginnings,” as Lt. Jeremy Holt puts it.
“We were considered road and bridge inspectors, who worked for the commissioner of roads and revenues in the early 1900s,” Holt said.
By 1924, two officers were employed to direct traffic, working out of a small office in the basement of the old courthouse on Marietta Square.
But, speaking at the Cobb County Commission meeting Tuesday, Holt said calls from citizens proved the expansion of the department was necessary.
“The calls from the public came when we started having issues with vagrants and law breakers coming from over the Chattahoochee River, from Fulton County,” Holt said. “That’s how we really got started.”
The force has blossomed from two traffic directors that catered to 30,000 people to a 650-member department that serves over 770,000 people, a major sports team and the third largest university in the Peach State.
“We’ve come a long way,” Holt said.
That journey earned the Cobb Police a proclamation from Chairwoman Lisa Cupid Tuesday, which marked the second century of police protection in the county.
“We appreciate the steadfast, professional service exemplified through men and women of this highly respected police agency,” Cupid said.
Milestones along the way have included the first police vehicle issued in 1929 (a Dodge touring car), a focus on “moonshine busts” in the 1940s, the official naming of the department by the commission in 1943 and the creation of the SWAT team in 1977.
But that growth has not been without loss.
According to Cobb Police, six members of the force have been killed as a result of their duties in the last 100 years.
That includes Sgt. Steven Reeves and Officer Stephen Gilner, who were both killed while performing a hostage rescue in 1999.
“Throughout the 100 years, the department recognizes and cherishes the sacrifices of six members who were killed in the line of duty,” Cupid said.
Accepting the proclamation on behalf of Chief Stuart VanHoozer, who was sick, was Deputy Chief Ben Cohen.
“It doesn’t matter what we wear, it doesn’t matter how long we’ve been here. The character of the officers that work here everyday make this department as great as it is,” Cohen said. “... It’s an honor.”
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