Atlanta’s controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center—better known to the public as Cop City—officially opened the doors to the facility on May 1 after a four-year development period that has been marked by backlash and protests as it has received much pushback from Atlanta’s marginalized communities. The 85-acre space will serve as a training ground for Atlanta’s police and fire departments.
According to Capital B News, criticism of the training center has focused on concerns about the potential for increased police militarization in Atlanta’s Black communities, the $67 million cost to taxpayers, and the environmental impact on the forest where the center is being built.
The Cop City facility was first announced in April 2021 by then-Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who presented it as a measure to improve officer retention and morale within the Atlanta Police Department following the 2020 protests over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Still, the facility was immediately met with protests led by a group of environmental and racial justice protestors who started the Stop Cop City movement.
In January 2023, 26-year-old protester Manuel “Tortuguita” Paez Terán was killed by a SWAT unit from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation while demonstrating against the facility’s environmental impact. The incident drew national attention and highlighted the ongoing opposition to the project.
Despite the backlash following the shooting of Terán, protests on Atlanta college campuses, and a petition to put the facility on the ballot—backed by prominent Georgians including Stacey Abrams, Bernice King, and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock—the city continued moving forward with the project.
Although the center is now open, groups like The People’s Campaign to Stop Cop City vow to continue the fight against the facility as evidenced by a press release they issued ahead of the opening of the facility.
“Our fight isn’t over until Cop City falls and Atlanta reallocates funding towards services that actually keep our communities safe. Cop City may be built, but Atlantans’ resistance remains as strong and determined as ever,” the group said.
On social media, users pointed out that Cop City’s training curriculum includes protest response tactics, prompting concerns about how the facility—largely seen as unwanted by the public—might be used, particularly if officers are being prepared in ways some fear could lead to civil rights violations.
In December, Capital B toured the facility and saw what it looked like from the inside and it contains a mounted patrol facility complete with stables, a mock city (hence the term Cop City), a walking trail, an education center, an emergency vehicle operations course, and a mock fire station.
Roderick Smith, the chief of Atlanta Fire and Rescue, assured the outlet during their trip that no matter what’s been said about the facility, Cop City is necessary for the improvement of the services that the fire department and the police provide to the larger Atlanta community.
“We need this training center so that we can better service you,” Smith said. “No matter what stories you’ve heard about what’s going on or what’s transpiring here, we’ve been very transparent about what this facility means to each department and what services we intend to provide.”
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