A new Georgia State Patrol post will be constructed on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion in Buckhead, part of Gov. Brian Kemp’s push to crack down on violent crime in Atlanta even as he opposed a breakaway cityhood movement.
Kemp’s office said Friday the facility and garage bay will be used by roughly 30 state Troopers, including 12 who are directly assigned to the post. The second-term Republican said it would be used “around the clock” by officers.
“With this new patrol post, our dedicated State Troopers will have another base of operations as they take the fight directly to criminals,” he said in a statement, “and I look forward to seeing its positive impact on the Buckhead community.”
The project is financed by a $1.3 million item in the 2024 budget that was approved by legislators earlier this year. The construction is set to begin next year, and Kemp’s office said it would maintain the “historical integrity” of the Mansion.
The governor help defeat a Buckhead secession movement earlier this year when his executive counsel issued a memo ahead of the vote that raised nearly a dozen questions about the constitutionality of the proposal.
It preceded a 33-23 vote in the state Senate that put down the pro-Buckhead rebellion and led its chief organizer to abandon his effort and leave Atlanta.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, meanwhile, has taken steps to increase security patrols in Atlanta and presided over the opening of a new police precinct in Buckhead.
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