Atlanta and DeKalb County residents will be able to voice their support or opposition to the city’s proposed new public safety training academy during two public forums hosted by City Council members this month.
The city is seeking to build a new training center for police officers and firefighters on 150 acres of forested, city-owned land in DeKalb County, at the site of the old Atlanta prison farm.
The public input sessions are scheduled for Thursday, July 15 at 6 p.m. and Thursday, July 29 at 6 p.m., Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd announced during Tuesday’s council meeting. The first meeting will be for city of Atlanta residents, and the second will be for DeKalb residents, Sheperd said. Both will be virtual; details on how to access the meetings will be posted online within the next few days, she said.
Sheperd sponsored an ordinance that would lease the land to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the construction of the facility through a public-private partnership. Sheperd and police foundation leaders said building a new training center is essential for police recruitment and retention, since the department’s current facility is in poor shape.
But the new proposal has received pushback from social justice activists and environmental groups, who have criticized the city’s increased investment in policing and worry about the impact the facility could have on the nearby land and communities.
Several councilmembers have said they support the new training center, but want to gather public input before taking a vote. Sheperd did not say whether additional public input sessions will be scheduled.
