“Law enforcement are often paid less than a living wage, and that is wrong. We must raise pay for officers and address violent crime as we work to build community trust and foster law enforcement accountability,” she tweeted.

She explained that “law enforcement in urban, suburban and rural areas across Georgia struggle with staffing shortages that put communities at risk. Higher officer pay will lead to better officer recruitment, better officer retention, better community interactions and a safer Georgia.”

The Georgia gubernatorial candidate expounded on her plan to increase pay for officers in a series of tweets.

“Here’s how I plan to do this,” she said. “Raise base salary for state officers to $50k/year; Provide grants to localities to support increased salary for local law enforcement; Secure mental health support for law enforcement [and] invest in expanded training and collaborative support.”

Abrams also noted that she aims to “develop guidelines for police department policies that govern community relations and transparency,” “fortify training standards,” “require accountability for unlawful violence and misconduct,” and “provide and maintain a statewide database of officers dismissed for violation of standards to help other law enforcement agencies make informed hiring decisions.”

Abrams’ announcement comes after her opponent, incumbent Republican Governor Brian Kemp, accused her of supporting defunding the police. Abrams responded, saying that she has never advocated for defunding law enforcement.

Some Georgia residents were upset with Abrams’ plan to increase pay for officers.

“So no difference between you and the Republican option then,” one Twitter user wrote.

“You supported the defund movement at the beginning. Now that public sentiment changes so do your position,” another added.

 

Other non-Georgia residents were unhappy with the policy plan as well.

“SCOTUS already ruled that police DO NOT have to protect people. You can’t just ‘reform’ your way out of that. This proposal is beyond parody,” one Twitter user tweeted.

“They’re not gonna support you, love. No matter how you pander,” another wrote.

According to Newsweek, Abrams faces Kemp in November’s election. The Republican incumbent is currently in the lead by 5.2%, Real Clear Politics reports. Kemp has about 49.6% of Georgia’s voters, while Abrams has around 44.4%.