Residential & commercial tactical response training;
Sprinklers & standpipe training;
Firefighting evolution and safety training;
Joint response all hazards drills for fire & police personnel;
Technical rescue and rappel training; and
State-of-the-art disorientation drills utilizing electronic smoke generators.
The core Atlanta campus will include an 18,000 sqft Leadership Institute and a 58,000 sqft classroom building, sitting on 85 acres.
The $950 million New York City Police Academy sits on 32 acres and is 730,000 sqft, and excludes tactical training areas such as an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course and Firing Range. This site is exclusively for police, not fire training.
Others of note – Reno, NV (124 acres), Fresno, CA (80 acres), Meridian, MS (99 acres), Houston, TX (70 acres).
(May 2023) Current projections estimate the total cost of construction to be $90 million dollars. The City of Atlanta is responsible for $31 million of the $90 million, the rest of the construction costs including any overage will be paid for by philanthropic donations through the Atlanta Police Foundation.
In addition to the initial payment of $31million that the City of Atlanta is making to support construction costs, through a lease back agreement with the Atlanta Police Foundation the city will pay $1.2 million per year for 30 years in order to use the facility. These payments will not begin until occupancy begins. Other important facts:
85 acres. The city owns 385 contiguous acres in this location; however, construction will only take place on 85.
Without a permanent, dedicated training facility for Atlanta’s public safety officials, establishing one was a standing priority.
City of Atlanta leaders including the Mayor, City Council, and public safety officials recognize the patterns of police violence against black and brown people that have taken place for many years and are committed to making changes that support socially just public safety.
Fulfilling this commitment requires fundamental shifts in training including examples like de-escalation techniques, expanding community and peer responder programs, crisis intervention training, training on diversion and alternative options including harm reduction initiatives, and others. Doing this requires space and resources; things that Atlanta Police and Atlanta Fire Rescue personnel urgently need, and things that the new training facility will provide.
Regarding the history of the site, City and Public Safety officials acknowledge that there is no perfect location for this type of facility and are thankful for the scrutiny and attention given to this site. The ongoing attention holds the City accountable for protecting and preserving the South River Forest and Watershed communities, as well as protecting and promoting the welfare of the neighborhoods that surround the facility.
The city looks forward to the recommendations from the Community Task Force on visioning and memorializing the historical areas at the site. The input from the Task Force will result in a balanced approach to the use of the site and how it will support efforts to reduce and eradicate historic policing issues.
No. The only area experiencing clearing is the 85 acres that will be used for the facility. Within the 85 acres, only 4 specimen trees could potentially be removed to facilitate building the sidewalks. Land planners and engineers are working with the community to find alternative options for the community recommended sidewalks, which might allow for the preservation of these 4 specimen trees. For every specimen tree removed, 100 new hardwood trees will be planted.
The project is not causing excessive runoff into Intrenchment Creek, nor any other waterways around this site. The construction activities are strictly following the approved Erosion and Sediment Control Plan and Best Management Practices(BMPs) required by Federal, State and local regulations. This includes daily inspections and the installation of double erosion control with mulch, precautions that go beyond the guidelines of the NPDES GAR100001 permit.
This part of the AFRD training plan is on indefinite hold and a thorough review of all consumable materials used will take place if it is considered for construction. Any future use of training simulation that will include chemicals containment will follow best practices.
APD’s current firing range is less than 500 feet from the closest residential neighborhood. Community members surrounding the site have asked for the relocation of the firing range to reduce its impact. As a result, the firing range will now be moved to the most southern point of the facility, closest to an industrial park. This relocation will place the closest resident more than ¾ of a mile away, with most residents landing more than 1 mile from its new location.
Grading and sloping, as well as a 100-ft minimum tree buffer will be used to mitigate sound from any vehicle activities in the facility. The vehicles will have standard mufflers of the type normally used by First Responder vehicles when on city streets.
Helicopter training will not take place at this site.
Helicopter training will not take place at this site.
Any ancillary use of helicopters in the vicinity will follow standard APDSOPs. The Atlanta Police utilizes helicopters to perform several critical functions for the safety of residents, including providing a clear view of active crime scenes, missing person searches, large-scale event monitoring and much more. Every effort is made to utilize the air unit in a manner that minimizes the impact on neighbors, while prioritizing the safety of the City of Atlanta.
The range is being moved from its current site to a location away from the Boulder Crest/Walk communities. A new state-of-the-art firing range will be constructed. It will meet the required disposal and cleaning standards, as required by local, state, and federal guidelines.
Simply put, because neither APD nor AFRD have dedicated training facilities. Without dedicated facilities and modern equipment, learning, and practicing current and more socially just models of policing and crisis intervention are extremely difficult.
In 2021, after 29 years at the 180 Southside Industrial Parkway location, the facility that APD used for most of its training was condemned and closed. Since then, APD’s training activities have been segmented and spread across region.
While APD has tried to condense as much training as possible into its leased space at Atlanta Metropolitan State College, there are still significant constraints on what can be done in that setting, on property that they don’t own.
A dedicated training facility will provide the space and layout needed for all public safety officials to train in simulated real-world situations, better equipping them with there action skills and response tools to make positive impacts on the communities that they serve.
Much like APD, the Fire Department’s training facility including its burn building and burn tower were condemned in Spring 2016, due to safety concerns. In February 2020, AFRD vacated the 407 Ashwood Training Facility due to unsafe conditions. Since then, AFRD has trained at a facility owned by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; we are required by federal law to pay rent, just like any third-party entity.
The site will be used to train members of Atlanta’s public safety community including:
No. In fact, with the dedicated space and resources that the facility provides, APD officers’ training will be more effective, ideally resulting in a lower use of force rate. The ability to train using both virtual and live simulated real-world scenarios will provide officers with a more opportunities to practice de-escalation and other crisis intervention techniques.
No.
No.
No.
None. This has historically been the site for explosives training; however, such training will no longer be held at this location. There will be no detonation of explosives at the site.
Yes, these are shell buildings and non-working. The buildings will be used by APD, AFRD, and medical personnel. The following small-scale buildings will be constructed for simulated real world training:
These types of training buildings are used by Fire and Police departments all over the Metro area and country. Indeed, such facilities have been in use for more than a generation.
Video of the use of the training buildings is available on the PSTC website: www.ATLTrainingCenter.com
The primary purpose of the training center isto train Atlanta public safety personnel and to serve as a community resource.A small portion of that may include joint training with other law enforcementagencies. A limited number of other agencies may be allowed to utilize aportion of the facility for training purposes, but the city has no currentagreement to that effect
CLICK HERE for APD’s current SOPs.