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Did Keisha Lance Bottoms give Atlanta police the largest pay raise in the city's history?

Matches stated direction. In 2018 she proposed a police raise of about 30 percent over three years and the council funded the first $10 million; no record we read ranks it against earlier raises.

Keisha Lance Bottoms

The 2018 police pay raise

Matches stated direction

What they say

In the October 6 debate she said that as mayor she gave law enforcement the largest pay raise in Atlanta's history.

What the record shows ·

In October 2018 she announced a plan to raise police pay, which her office called unprecedented; the city's reform site puts it at 30 percent over three years. On Oct. 15, 2018 the council voted 13-0 for the first $10 million. The ordinance, sponsored by council members, follows her proposal and plans raises of about $11 million a year through July 2021.

Limit: No record we read compares this raise with earlier ones, so "largest in history" is not checked. We did not confirm that each later yearly raise was paid.

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  1. Atlanta News First governor debate, October 6, 2026 (at 36:01)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7CnmPxFCdw&t=2161s

    Atlanta News First · Published Oct 6, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    The host's full video of the town hall debate. Bottoms says that as mayor she gave law enforcement the largest pay raise in Atlanta's history. Described from YouTube's English captions of the video, read October 10, 2026; not quoted, because a second transcript to check the wording against was not available.

    candidate statement

    For: Did Keisha Lance Bottoms give Atlanta police the largest pay raise in the city's history?

  2. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Announces Comprehensive Plan to Raise Compensation for Atlanta Policehttps://web.archive.org/web/20210411124535/https://www.atlantaga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/11729/672

    City of Atlanta, Mayor's Office of Communications · Published Oct 1, 2018 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    Her office's release. Calls the plan unprecedented and puts $10 million more into patrol and senior officers' pay by January 2019. Archived copy; the city's site blocks this desk.

    official office record

    For: Did Keisha Lance Bottoms give Atlanta police the largest pay raise in the city's history?

  3. APD Pay Raisehttps://justicereform.atlantaga.gov/article/apd-pay-raise-2

    City of Atlanta, One Atlanta criminal justice reform site · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    The city's reform site, dated September 2018. Puts the police raise at 30 percent over three years.

    official office record

    For: Did Keisha Lance Bottoms give Atlanta police the largest pay raise in the city's history?

  4. Ordinance 18-O-1629, police payhttps://atlantacityga.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?ID=16358

    Atlanta City Council (legislative records) · Published Oct 15, 2018 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    The council's file. Sponsored by council members, it moves $10 million to police pay under the mayor's proposal and plans about $11 million more each year through July 2021. Adopted 13-0 on Oct. 15, 2018.

    official legislative record

    For: Did Keisha Lance Bottoms give Atlanta police the largest pay raise in the city's history?