House budget writers included $1.25 million within the Fiscal Year 2024 budget to open a Georgia State Patrol satellite post in Buckhead.
House Speaker Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, announced Tuesday that the upcoming year’s budget drafted by House lawmakers will include the money to allow the Department of Public Safety to buy and equip a facility.
“This new state patrol office will improve the ability of our state troopers to respond to incidents along and inside the northern perimeter,” Burns said in a statement. “It will also increase the visibility of our state law enforcement in this densely-populated area.”
The new Speaker of the House said that he hopes GSP will work in coordination with the Atlanta Police Department to serve the area.
The satellite facility in Buckhead will house up to 20 troopers from the motor unit and Nighthawks DUI Task Force, according to a release.
The announcement comes on the heels of an effort by a handful of disgruntled residents in the wealthy north Atlanta neighborhood to secede from the city. Secession supporters cite frustration with Atlanta’s response to high rates of violent crime.
A group of Republican state senators who all live outside the city introduced two bills this legislative session to spark the process. But the proposals were ultimately voted down after Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration sent a memo questioning the constitutionality of the measures.
Both Kemp and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones voiced support for a GSP post in Buckhead on Tuesday.
“On all levels in Georgia, we’re demonstrating we will not tolerate crime or street gangs,” Kemp said in a statement. “Through strong partnerships with both state and local leaders, we’re bringing the fight to those who threaten our communities.”
The House version of the FY24 budget - that funds state government from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024 - will have a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday.
