The Atlanta City Council voted 11-4 in favor of a controversial plan to build a massive public safety training center, dubbed "Cop City" by opponents. The $90-million, 85-acre facility would be used by police, firefighters and emergency responders to train, and includes a firing range, driving track, and classrooms. Opponents worry the proposed campus could negatively impact the environment and be used by police to "practice urban warfare," while supporters argue it will help improve public safety. The legislation must still be approved by the mayor and the 2023 budget must be approved by the City Council.
Posts tagged as “The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center”
The Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission has recommended the decertification of three former Memphis police officers involved in the death of Tyre Nichols. This means that they will not be able to work as law enforcement officers in Tennessee again. The commission voted to decertify the officers during a meeting on Friday, and they have 30 days to appeal the decision. The fifth former officer, Eric Kelly, was not included in the request for decertification.
At least 35 people were detained after a violent protest at a new police training center in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday. Surveillance videos released by the police department show orange flames rising from a construction tractor and at least four other fires burning in and around the fenced site. The weeklong “mass mobilization” is set to continue through Thursday, with the Atlanta Police Department urging protesters to remain peaceful and vowing to take action against anyone engaging in violence or destruction of property.
A Georgia state trooper was shot and wounded near the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, a controversial future law enforcement training site, during a clearing operation conducted by the GBI and other law enforcement agencies. An individual allegedly shot at law enforcement without warning, and was killed by police return fire. The wounded trooper was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and the proposed $90 million center is on hold pending the outcome of the investigation.