Atlanta police extend on-duty coverage at training center site despite opposition
More officers to be recruited to guard site of future public safety training facility
Some Atlanta city council members have voiced their concerns and anger over the current number of on-duty Atlanta police officers currently guarding the incoming police training center site. A new memo obtained by FOX 5 shows that number is only expected to increase for the next few months.
ATLANTA - The future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center site will continue to receive on-duty police coverage for at least 90 more days, according to a memorandum received by dozens of officers. The notice was one of two distributed to all officers assigned to the detail.
Atlanta City Council member Antonio Lewis has expressed his opposition to the deployment to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.
"I will work my butt off to have Zone 3 officers removed from that DeKalb County construction site," Lewis said.
Lewis, who represents southeast Atlanta, expressed concern that recent shootings are reversing improvements in the crime rate at the beginning of 2023.
"I don't want to see the gains made in my district (12) reversed," Lewis warned.
The Atlanta Police Department has redeployed officers, detectives, motors, and other specialized divisions to the construction site, which is being constructed in DeKalb County on land owned by the city of Atlanta.
The chief has heard Lewis' complaints and explained to members of the Atlanta City Council Public Safety Panel that the opposition to the training center location is extraordinary.
"We have never seen the type of violence that we have seen to this project," Schierbaum said.
Lewis sits on that committee.