ATLANTA — City of Atlanta officials are preparing to fully open up the controversial multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art public safety training center in Dekalb County.
“We are moving in now,” declared Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “Operations will begin early next year.”
The 85-acre site includes an academic building, a training fire station, a six-story burn building, a mock city for live police training, horse stables, a shooting range, a skills pad for police, dog kennels for K9 officers and community spaces, including a walking trail.
“Your police department needs this training center, your fire department needs this training center, and most importantly, the community needs this training center,” said Atlanta Fire Rescue Chief Roderick Smith. “We need this training center so we can better service you.”
The training center project, dubbed “Cop City” by protestors, has been the site of violent clashes with police and a subject of contention in the community. Last month, the Atlanta City Council approved $1.7 million in additional funding for security at the site as personnel prepare to move in.
“We’ll use a combination of technology and human resources, “Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told WSB. “We’ll do whatever we can do to make sure that this is a safe place for learning and that the citizen’s investment in their public safety infrastructure is not damaged.”
Public safety officials say the new facilities will allow for greater collaboration between police and fire personnel. Both agencies hope to have everything in place by the first quarter of next year.