See this entire feature in GaBiz Spring 2026.
Photography by Ben Rollins
When metro Atlanta residents, commuters, and visitors cross the border into Sandy Springs, a special message, etched into the metal under the crisp blue-and-white “Welcome to Sandy Springs” sign, greets them. It reads: “Protected by SSPD,” referring to the Sandy Springs Police Department. “It’s a testament to the pride that the city, the residents, and businesses take in their police force,” says Adam Forrand, president and CEO of the Greater Perimeter Chamber of Commerce, which represents Sandy Springs and its neighbor, Dunwoody.
Experts often refer to the three-legged stool of economic development. Business development, the first leg, includes strategies and initiatives launched by chambers of commerce, industry associations, or governments to spur economic growth. Talent development, the second leg, ensures a skilled and trained workforce in the pipeline. For the third leg, community development, “the main categorical expectation is public safety,” says Forrand. “That’s the basis which allows us to attract and train talent and build businesses around it.”
Full Support in Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs, with a population of 109,000, sits about 16 miles north of downtown Atlanta and consistently ranks as one of the wealthiest cities in Georgia and the best places to live in the U.S. It is home to several global and Fortune 500 companies, including UPS, Newell Brands, Cox Communications, Mercedes-Benz USA, and Intercontinental Exchange, a financial services provider that operates the New York Stock Exchange. Many local businesses and start-ups have clustered around the large corporations.
Public safety was the number one argument—along with local control over zoning and taxes—when Sandy Springs seceded from Atlanta and incorporated in 2005. It became the blueprint for Georgia’s city hood movement, with communities such as Johns Creek, Milton, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, and Mableton following suit.
Snapshot of the City of
Sandy Springs
Incorporated: December 2005
Population: 109,000
Largest Medical Center Cluster in Georgia: Includes Northside Hospital, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Approximately: 38.5 square miles
Professional and Business Support Jobs: More than 90,000
Police Department Employees: 204, including 153 full-time sworn officers
Resident Participation Rate: 74%, 10 percentage points higher than state and national averages
Calls for Service (2025): 98,048
Office, Retail, and Commercial Space: Over 60 million square feet
Global Headquarters Located in Sandy Springs: UPS, Newell Brands, Cox Enterprises, and Mercedes-Benz USA
Resident Business Growth: 23% increase over the past 10 years
For full stats and illustrations, read the Spring 2026 issue.
Today, Sandy Springs has a police force with 153 full- time sworn officers and a fire department with 125 first responders. Robust law enforcement remains a key factor for businesses to flock to the suburban city, says Forrand.
Metrics that businesses look for in a public safety agency—mainly police, but also fire and emergency medical services—include fast response times and high visibility. The community also expects its police force to conduct criminal investigations swiftly and effectively, ranging from violent and property offenses to white-collar and cybercrime, adds Forrand. This requires agencies to have strong working relationships with corporate security and state and federal law enforcement, like the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.
Sandy Springs police are well-equipped for these challenges, says Police Chief Kenneth DeSimone, a 37-year law enforcement veteran and retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel. “We provide good customer service,” he says as he sits in his bright third-floor office at the new police headquarters, a 130,000-square-foot state-of-the-art public safety hub that opened in 2025 and cost $56 million to build. The department has a SWAT team, a river patrol division, and a public order unit called Quick Response Force.
The city’s strong tax base has allowed the department to grow from 86 officers when it began operating in 2006. The force wasn’t immune to the recruitment and retention crisis that has rippled through agencies across the country since 2014. Back then, anti-police sentiments intensified after what was interpreted as an unwarranted shooting of Michael Brown by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri (later ruled by a grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice as self-defense). The public anger surged again following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, fueling the defund-the-police movement and taking a toll on officer morale.
Staff numbers shrunk in Sandy Springs as well, though not as drastically as in other jurisdictions, says DeSimone, who has been the police chief for 13 years. Now, the department is back to full strength, allowing officers to train above the minimum requirements.
“If you have barely enough officers to keep on the road, you’re jumping from 911 call to 911 call,” he says. “And you can’t spend time on extra training.”
Some police training in Sandy Springs is done in-house. There are firearms simulators and defensive tactics rooms in the new headquarters building. The department uses a simulation house in a nearby jurisdiction to practice skills such as close-quarters tactics and room clearing, and trains at live-fire ranges around North Georgia and at the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center for vehicle pursuits.
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Right On Target
Being fully staffed and well-funded also allows a police department to develop and nurture talent within its ranks, says DeSimone, which in turn boosts the force’s overall performance. “We can afford to find out what people’s strengths are and place them accordingly,” he adds, noting that some officers are great at undercover narcotics but don’t excel at traffic investigations, while others thrive as criminal intelligence detectives but wouldn’t be the best choice as patrol officers.
Another benefit for officers serving in a healthy business environment is the availability of off-duty jobs to supplement their income. Northside Hospital, for example, one of the largest employers in Sandy Springs, hires police officers for enhanced security.
Members of the department’s command staff regularly attend meetings and events organized by the Chamber of Commerce and other local business groups. DeSimone says he speaks with corporate leaders often, discussing “everything from cyber threats to workplace violence, from domestic terrorism to graffiti vandalism.”
Sandy Springs police also make sure the force remains highly visible to the community, whether that’s by its distinctly painted squad cars—black, with a bold blue stripe— patrolling the city, or by posting catchy social media videos of fast-paced pursuits and skillful vehicle interceptions (otherwise known as PIT maneuvers).
A Symbiotic Relationship
Crime, public safety, and economic development are deeply interconnected, says Sergio Gárate, professor of finance and director of the real estate program at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in Atlanta. “Data clearly show that high crime depresses economic activity, resulting in lower tax collection.”
Strong public safety, on the other hand, fosters economic growth by attracting investment and consumers. A thriving business environment improves safety by creating opportunities and reducing poverty-driven crime, Gárate notes.
“But there’s a trade off,” he says. “Building a robust public safety landscape with a strong police force, with surveillance cameras and other technologies to deter crime, is not free, and the effectiveness of these policies isn’t always guaranteed.”
Public safety can serve as a powerful economic develop- ment tool, but strategies and formulas vary depending on an area’s geographic location, history, and social makeup.
Taking Care of Business in Troup County
In Troup County, ties between public safety and business are equally strong, yet the journey has been different. With a population of around 70,000, the county, spanning 446 square miles, is home to police departments in LaGrange, West Point, and Hogansville, as well as the sheriff’s office. There’s also a Georgia State Patrol post. Lieutenant Stewart Smith started as a frontline deputy with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office 28 years ago. “I’m a local boy. I’ve seen the area go through ups and downs,” he says. “And I’ve seen the industry landscape grow and change—and our public safety footprint change with it.”
Starting with cotton mills in the late 19th century, textile manufacturing was a major part of the economy until about 30 years ago, when the textile industry moved o shore for cheaper labor. The county has transitioned into other sectors, notably automotive part suppliers that support the Kia Motors plant in West Point and the Hyundai plant in nearby Montgomery, Alabama. Battery giant Duracell operates a large manufacturing facility in LaGrange. There are plans to build an Amazon sorting facility and a Google data center in Troup County. Tourism is also growing, mostly around Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor water park resort.
The main reasons businesses are drawn to Troup County—located in the so-called “Growth Corridor of the South” along I-85—include strong connectivity, industrial infrastructure, a skilled workforce, tax incentives, and an affordable cost of living. But safety remains the baseline, says Connie Hensler, president and CEO of the LaGrange– Troup County Chamber of Commerce, the region’s leading business network with about 750 members.
Photography by Ben Rollins
“People want to live in an area that’s safe,” Hensler says. “That includes companies’ employees and their families.” Businesses of all sizes also want their property and assets to be secure, she adds. Low crime is a key argument for companies when making a location decision and factored into the cost of doing business, a calculation that includes real estate prices, insurance premiums, and salaries, says Emory’s Gárate.
Law enforcement agencies must deliver on this expectation, says Smith, who serves as public information officer for the Troup County Sheri ’s Office. The agency has 150 sworn deputies and detention officers who regularly interact with the broader community.
The mission includes patrolling the county, responding to 911 calls, and conducting criminal investigations. They also proactively provide safety services to citizens.
For example, Smith and his colleagues offer active shooter, self-defense, and first aid classes to local businesses, churches, and schools. They also provide safety and security assessments for business owners. And they work with security teams at companies like Kia to keep up to date on their safety and emergency management plans, so, in case of an incident, the public safety response is fast.
Going above and beyond is part of the department’s public safety playbook. “We check on our local businesses at night, making sure the locations are secure,” says Smith.
All About Access
Being present, visible, and accessible is key to the relationship between public safety and the business community. The LaGrange Police Department, with 100 sworn staff, has a dedicated community outreach officer who serves as a liaison between law enforcement and local business owners. The officer patrols the downtown business district, attends meetings hosted by the city’s economic development agency and the Chamber of Commerce, and provides regular updates on crime, potential threats, and calls for service.
“That’s hugely important, especially for smaller businesses that don’t have their own private security to handle safety issues,” Hensler says.
Public safety is also the theme of the Chamber’s annual Valor Awards. Each year, Troup County’s business community honors the area’s public safety professionals and first responders for their outstanding bravery, dedication, and teamwork during critical incidents and crises.
Troup County at a Glance
Population: 70,000
Largest Industry: Automotive and automotive supply manufacturing
Approximately: 446 square miles
Manufacturing Facilities: More than 120, up from 105 in 2014
Troup County Sheriff’s Office: 170 employees, including 150 sworn staff
Regional Manufacturing Employment: 36.8%, compared to the national average of 7.8%
Calls for Service (2025): 27,048
LaGrange Police Department: 100 sworn staff
First Troup County Sheriff Took Office: 1827
Hogansville Police Department: 25 sworn staff
Manufacturing GDP Growth: 4.4% annual increase over the last 10 years, compared to a national increase of 3.9%
West Point Police Department: 16 sworn staff
Besides the recognition, public safety agencies in Troup County reap tangible benefits from the growing business community, says Smith—just as they do in Sandy Springs.
After taking a hit during the 2020 recruitment crisis, staff levels at the sheriff’s office are back to over 80 percent. In January, the county government approved additional deputy positions, and the starting pay was bumped up by 5 percent.
“These are small steps, but they help ensure that we can stay competitive, that we can attract and retain good employees,” says Smith.
The area’s broad and diverse industry base also helps officers secure long-term contracts for off-duty work, he adds, whether that’s providing on-site security at one of the manufacturing plants and warehouses or helping with work-zone safety during road construction.
Troup County is set for growth, but Lieutenant Smith remembers more difficult times. His advice to colleagues working for public safety agencies in less thriving areas is to stay the course and deliver on the core mission to respond to 911 calls, fight crime, and provide safety for the community.
But also, he says, “Don’t just stay in your shell. Get out, shake hands, and get to know the business owners in your area, one at a time.”
