VIDEO: The people who keep Cobb County safe say they are understaffed and underpaid.
Cobb police officers, firefighters and deputies crowded a Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday night, and some said there's such a shortage, people worry about who is going to protect the public.
Speaker after speaker stood up for Cobb County's law enforcement officers, and many of the officers were there themselves to demand a fix.
"We can't wait until 2020, sir. We need action now," one of the officers said.
The standing room-only crowd expressed concerns about low pay and subpar benefits for police officers and firefighters.
The crowd of concerned citizens, business owners and law enforcement officers had the board's attention by the end of the two-hour meeting.
The chairman said that public safety remains 44 percent of the entire budget.