Warner Robins Police Department short staffed, according to police chief

WARNER ROBINS — The Warner Robins Police Department is short staffed by 20 officers. That was what Chief Wayne Fisher said during a town hall meeting on Tuesday.

The town hall meetings are billed as a way for the police department to serve as an opportunity for residents to voice their concerns while building a stronger relationship with the men and women of the force. 

During the meeting, an attendee asked about more patrolling in neighborhoods. Fisher said to increase police presence in the community, they also needed to increase the amount of officers. That’s where the 20 officers short came in. Those, Fisher said, were due to retirements and officers seeking career paths. 

Despite being short staffed, Fisher said the department is working on improving police presence. Technology, he said, helps them see which areas need monitoring, and he said they have been effective in managing their response to crime. 

In 2022, Fisher was named interim police chief. He said during that time, the department was about 40 officers short. He said the hiring process is long but they want to fill those positions with qualified people. 

“We don’t want bad officers amongst ourselves,” he said. “Once the community starts losing trust in us, it makes our job even that much more difficult to do.”.

Fisher explained back in 2020, the department had 117 officers. In 2025, that number went up to 122 but now they are down to 116 due to the number of retirements. 

“It’s going to take time to get these numbers up. You don’t want to make the mistake of dropping standards just to get the people on board,” he said. “That creates greater problems within the community that breeds distrust and creates challenge points in the department in trying to better provide services to the community.”

Fisher said there is no timeline as to when they will be fully staffed. He said community engagement is important to spread the word that they are hiring. 

The starting pay at the police department is $25 an hour for an officer with no experience. Fisher is asking the community to be part of the solution. 

“We want the candidate that is going to make us a better reflection of the community which we’re serving. It takes the engagement of the community to be part of it,” he said.