Agreement Allowing Police To Serve In This Cobb Town Expires: Officials

Updated to include comment from Mableton's mayor.

MABLETON, GA — Government officials on Monday say an agreement allowing Cobb County Police to provide law enforcement services to Mableton has expired, leaving them to pivot.

An intergovernmental agreement between the City of Mableton and Cobb County, which allowed CCPD to perform law enforcement services within Mableton city limits for an additional year, expired at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, county officials said.

After reaching the agreement with Cobb during a May 22 service delivery strategy mediation, county officials said Mableton city officials presented a new demand requiring certain state misdemeanor citations be sent to Mableton City Court rather than Cobb County State Court. County officials said the latter is where these citations are currently being handled.

The issue with routing misdemeanor citations to a municipal court is that such an act would "require complex operational and technological integration measures that are not feasible for a 12-month service extension," the county said.

Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa N. Cupid has notified the City of Mableton of the expiration, officials said.

“Cobb County negotiated in good faith and reached an agreement in principle during the May 22 mediation,” Cupid said in a news release.

“The city’s last-minute demand was raised only as we were finalizing language, not during the lengthy mediation itself. It is operationally unworkable and is preventing us from executing an agreement that protects Mableton residents. We remain ready and willing to finalize the IGA based on the material terms agreed upon on May 22.”

Due to the lack of an intergovernmental agreement, county officials said they can no longer legally offer municipal police services in Mableton city limits under the Georgia Constitution.

However, as a temporary fix, the county said Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens will deputize CCPD officers so they can continue responding to emergency calls.

"The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office is aware of ongoing discussions between Cobb County and the City of Mableton regarding the future of police services," Owens said in a news release. "I want Mableton residents to know this office takes seriously its responsibility to the safety and security of every community in Cobb County.We were not a party to these negotiations. Any support we provide will be driven by our constitutional commitment to the people of Mableton — not by the outcome of any political or administrative process. Resources are being deployed as operational capacity allows. The sheriff’s office will provide updates as development warrants."

Cupid said the county will do everything lawfully possible to keep Mableton residents protected.

“We urge Mableton’s leadership to return to the table and finalize the agreement that was substantively reached on May 22," Cupid said in the release. "The path forward is clear. The city simply needs to accept the terms already agreed upon.”

Mableton Mayor Michael Owens released a statement Monday, saying while the city is willing to move forward with the agreed-upon $13 million for one year of police services, officials cannot sign a contract that "undermines Mableton’s municipal court and the city’s legal authority to handle matters within our jurisdiction."

Owens said the Mableton City Council on last week permitted him to resume negotiations with Cobb and substantially implement the agreement.

"That was a good-faith step to keep this process moving," he said. "It was not a blank check to sign language that harms the municipal court this city has worked to build."

Owens continued:

"Mableton is a city. We have a municipal court. We have a municipal judge. We have a responsibility to our residents. Any agreement for police services must respect that structure. Cobb County has characterized this as a new demand from Mableton. I strongly disagree. Doing due diligence before signing a major legal agreement is not a new demand. It is responsible government.

"This is not about whether Mableton wants police service. We want police service to continue. We want an agreement. We remain at the table. But we will not agree to language that strips away or weakens the city’s ability to operate its municipal court and fulfill its responsibilities under the law. Mableton residents should not be placed in the middle of a dispute between governments. Public safety must come first."

He urged anyone with an emergency to call 911 for assistance.