The appointment comes as the city works to fully stand up its police department by June 1, a little over seven months from Allen’s appointment.

Public Safety Director Kerry Stallings, appointed in August, told media he believes Allen was the best choice for the job.

“You know, we have many excellent police chiefs that can shape a wonderful organization, but we want one that’s built on character. And I believe this police chief is the right one for this job,” he said.

The police department is part of the city’s public safety division, which Stallings oversees. Responsibilities of the department include code enforcement, emergency management, disaster response and addressing homelessness, in addition to policing.

He said the city is working to identify the location of a permanent police headquarters.

Mayor Michael Owens said the city received around 60 applications for the position, many of which were from current police chiefs.

“She has truly shown herself to be a police chief that rises to a level above other chiefs. She has shown throughout round after round that she brings an ethical, compassionate, and precise outlook to police,” he said.

Owens said Allen will ensure Mableton works to create people-based community policing and will create the culture, standards, policies and relationships which will guide the department for years to come.

Following her appointment, Allen took time to thank God, the city and her family for their support and made a promise to the citizens of Mableton.

“This milestone is a blessing for our citizens of Mableton and together we will rise to meet it with purpose and determination. As your new police chief, I pledge to lead with integrity, wisdom, respect for everyone,” she said.

She told the audience she is committed to enhancing safety in Mableton and will always treat Mableton’s citizens with dignity and fairness.

Since the application portal opened Oct. 1, Stallings said the city has received over 1,500 applications from across Georgia for its 70 law enforcement and 10 civilian positions.

As for the perfect officer candidate, Stallings said the city wants people with strong character.

“We want someone that is character first. We want someone that has a good core set of beliefs. We want someone that has the morality to go along with their expertise, with their education, with their experience, and we want someone that is going to care about justice and mercy at the same time,” he said.

Each of the council members also took time to thank Allen and welcome her to the city.

The context

In May 2025, Mableton reached a deal with Cobb County to pay for one year of police services from the Cobb County Police Department, leaving the city with a $9.5 million bill, which the city paid $3 million toward the debt in May 2026.

In December 2025, Mableton approved a citywide public safety special service tax district, which allows the city to levy a tax for public safety services and pay for policing.

The following May, the city and county could not reach a long-term agreement for police services, leading to another one-year agreement for $13 million and Mableton looking to establish its own police force by May 31, 2027.

Owens told media, per the city’s charter, Mableton has a responsibility to protect its citizens, beyond services initially required when the city began.

When Mableton was established in 2023, it had two years to set up a list of limited municipal services: code enforcement, planning and zoning, waste management and business licensing, based on a “city lite” model.

Services such as stormwater management, transportation and police remained Cobb County’s responsibility.

Now, the city is working to expand its responsibilities with additional departments including public safety and parks and recreation.

Owens acknowledged not all Mableton citizens are happy about the new police department, but said he feels temperatures regarding the change have been trending more positive recently.

“And we understand there’s some that still may not be completely on board. That’s understandable and we can respect that. But at the same time, the work that we’re doing, the people that we are attracting, the number of officers that want to come to work here has been truly astounding,” Owens said.

Funding for the new police department and payments to Cobb County will come from the public safety tax expected to collect $21 million.

Georgia law calculates ad valorem taxes on 40% of a property’s fair market value, multiplied by the millage rate.

The city approved a 4.5 mill rate in July and the tax is due Dec. 1.

Allen will officially assume her role the first week of November.

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