Sandy Springs, Georgia
Services
### Services

Sandy Springs was noted for contracting private companies to perform the majority of its services in a public\-private partnership model of government at the beginning of its incorporation in 2005\. While many governments contract with private\-sector companies on a per\-project basis, Sandy Springs is believed to be the first American city to outsource its services for the majority of ongoing operations. They chose to do so as an economic response to the [Great Recession](/wiki/Great_Recession "Great Recession"). The city regularly hosted delegations from other governments that were interested in the model. Services not outsourced include police, fire\-rescue, and city management. The city moved away from the private\-public partnership model in 2019 when it was realized how much money was lost to private contractors and hired 184 full\-time city staff that work at the new City Springs development. It now operates as a hybrid model, outsourcing projects to private companies as needed. The city estimates $14 million will be saved over the next five years from hiring full\-time staff.

The Sandy Springs Police Department (SSPD) is the city's police department and took over services from Fulton County on July 1, 2006, with 86 original police officers recruited from various police agencies from all over the State of Georgia. The department currently has an authorized staff of 149 full\-time sworn officers and 11 part\-time officers. Additionally, the SSPD also employs 23 civilian staff members who handle duties such as records, permits, GCIC, and fleet maintenance. The current Executive Officer is Chief Kenneth DeSimone, who assumed the position in 2013 from Terry Sult, who replaced Gene Wilson in 2008 as the department's first chief. The department answered 124,374 calls for service and made 3,390 arrests in 2020\.

Dedicated units of the SSPD include Uniform Patrol, Bike Unit, Community Affairs, Crime Scene Investigations, Criminal Investigation Division, Criminal Intelligence Unit, Crisis Negotiation Team, Honor Guard, K\-9 Unit, Quick Response Force, Special Investigation Unit, Swift Water Rescue Team, Traffic Unit, and the Training Unit. Further, the SSPD is a member of the North Metro SWAT Team, consisting of officers from Sandy Springs Police Department, Dunwoody Police Department, Johns Creek Police Department, and the Brookhaven Police Department. The SSPD headquarters is located at 7840 Roswell Road, Suite 301, within the Morgan Falls Office Park.

The city's fire department began operations in December 2006\. The department consists of 97 full\-time firefighters. Chief Jack McElfish headed the fire department from 2005 to 2014\. The fire department is today led by Chief Keith Sanders. It is staffed by 113 full\-time firefighters. The fire department handled 17,000 responses to 8,205 calls for service

The city of Sandy Springs has purchased the old [Target Corporation](/wiki/Target_Corporation "Target Corporation") building (originally [Richway](/wiki/Richway_Department_Stores%23Today "Richway Department Stores#Today")) located on the corner of Sandy Springs Circle and [Johnson Ferry Road](/wiki/Johnson_Ferry_Road "Johnson Ferry Road"). In May 2018, the new city hall opened after years of construction.


Can other cities benefit from learning about Sandy Springs' experience with outsourcing services?