Lovejoy leaders decide it's time to call the cops

Lovejoy leaders decide it's time to call the cops | ajc.com: "Nestled in the Clayton County panhandle, Lovejoy has never had a police force in its 116 years.

Yet with subdivisions sprouting like dandelions, a Starbucks in place and a Home Depot on the way, city leaders and residents say it's time for a regular police presence in Lovejoy.

That time could be as soon as next month.

The City Council has chosen the Clayton County Police Department to make regular patrols in Lovejoy, rebuffing a proposal from the Clayton County Sheriff's Office.

Both organizations made proposals to patrol the city of about 3,000.

Mayor Joe Murphy urged the council pick the Police Department for several reasons, including that the county's 911 system dispatches county police officers — not sheriff's deputies — to answer calls for help.

"The Police Department in the county is set up to handle our case for what we're trying to do on the street," Murphy said.

In most places with a county police force, such as Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett, the sheriff mainly runs the jail, guards the courthouse and serves civil papers.