Atlanta police share new look at construction of public safety training center

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Police Department has shared a new update on the progress of building the city's controversial public safety training center.

The department shared footage of the ongoing construction of the facility, which would be located in part of DeKalb County's South River Forest.

The new footage showed walls coming up for an area designed for the department's horses. Chief Darin Schierbaum said that this area would be a place that residents and school groups could visit.

Schierbaum also showed what he called the "science portion" of the campus, which he said will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, computer labs, workout spaces, a mock courtroom, and practice areas for paramedics.

MORE: 'Stop Cop City' activists continue push to stop public training center's construction

On the other side of the campus, construction continues on what Schierbaum called Atlanta Fire Rescue's "first-ever fire training station," allowing crews to simulate different fire scenarios. The area also featured a paved driving course, and a "simulation village," that will replicate businesses and homes.

"We use a simulation village - a simulation center - to be able to replicate everything that a 911 dispatcher can call us to do. It could be a lost child, a car accident. It could be an active shooter, a person in a mental health crisis," Schierbaum said.

Workers are also building a new kennel for the department's K-9 officers.

The construction project is expected to finish in December.

Debate around the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center  

Protests against the training center have been ongoing for more than two years. Over the weekend, activists held meetings, concerts, dinners, and direct action to rally support to block the project.

Dickens and other supporters say the 85-acre, $90 million facility would replace inadequate training facilities and would help address difficulties in hiring and retaining police officers. Opponents have expressed concern that it could lead to greater police militarization and that its construction in the South River Forest will worsen environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.

Protests against the project, which have at times resulted in violence and vandalism, escalated after the fatal shooting in January 2023 of Tortuguita. A special prosecutor in October 2023 said he would not pursue charges against the state troopers who shot Paez Terán, saying he found that their use of deadly force was "objectively reasonable."

In August 2023, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr indicted 61 protesters using the state's anti-racketeering law, characterizing them as "militant anarchists."

This year, protesters have vandalized construction vehicles and disrupted traffic near sites for companies connected with the project.

The city says the issues caused by protesters have raised the cost of the training center by about $20 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.