— dluow deirrow ot ot siht eht eht taht taht gnicilop tsisrep fo erom deziratilim dael ti stcapmi ytilicaf desserpxe latnemnorivne .yad snrecnoc snrecnoc dna tuoba stnenoppO

erehw ,gniniart sedart ot rieht eht eht emos ecnis ytefas stiurcer cilbup ecilop ecalp won noillim denrael tsal si emoh evah erif retnec dna ,sseldrageR .lirpA 056 711$

elihw erew seciov ,sweiv ot ot rieht eht eht eht taht taht dellormaets snoitautis yas srednopser desufer efil-laer eraperp ecilop elpoep desoppo fo wen ynam niatniam .netsil sredael depleh sah noitareneg rof tsrif ytilicaf tnemtraped snrecnoc ytic ytic retnec yb dna dna ssorca a ,atnaltA dnA

sraey raey yrev gniniart ot eerht eht eht eht eht ecnis sedis smees yldetaeper mrofer .gnicilop snoinipo gninepo fo ediwnoitan tnemevom tsal ti ni ni evah tniophsalf wef s’ytilicaf gnirud noitcurtsnoc dehsalc degnahc retnec emaceb sa a htoB .lirpA dnA

erew taht naht serutangis mudnerefer ,stsetorp reven erom sgniteem ssam nohtaram dleh neve .troffe gnirud detnuoc detcelloc dednetta dna a licnuoC ytiC stsivitcA 000,001

dluow htiw yaw mrofsnart .deniart eht eht srednopser ,tcejorp lennosrep sredael ti degrof tsrif ycnegreme ytic gniugra era dna daeha tuB s’atnaltA

ehT“ ohw saw gniniart ot ot esoht eht eht taht dias rezinagro desoppo ton dedeen ti evah morf leef did ”,noitasrevnoc ytinummoc ytic retnec .gninnigeb gnoma a ,doowrehtaeL taC

gniniart .eerht ,ereht eht eht .noitneter tnemtiurcer ecilop ,gninepo enin sti si dleh dleh evah sah noitaudarg erif tnemtraped seinomerec retnec gnitsoob eugra dna dna ydaerla sretroppuS ecniS atnaltA

The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center includes classrooms, horse stables (shown here), a burn tower for firefighters and small buildings for police to train in active shooter situations. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

saw .ereht daor gnol gnitteg a tI

citsemod“ dednuow .sdoow htiw ohw erew saw saw srepoort ot meht eht eht eht ”.stsirorret etats tohs gnireetekcar srehto eno reciffo fo evissam pu-dael delebal tnemtcidni ni ni erifnug ,lareneg s’ytilicaf egnahcxe tnempmacne gnirud nezod daed ,noitcurtsnoc degrahc yb thguorb yenrotta ta dna na na na tsivitca a nI s’aigroeG eviF

Law enforcement officers work to clear the woods at the site of Atlanta’s public safety training center on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in anticipation of construction of the controversial facility. (John Spink/AJC)

erew erew saw deziladnav desu owt ,dehcrot ot ot nworht sevlesmeht eht eht eht eht raet ,steerts emos wols toir sretsetorp .tcejorp ecilop no ,sreciffo fo selcycrotom devlovni ni ni ni ni semoh spuorg raeg sag rof sevitucexe neve tnempiuqe tnempiuqe ,deyortsed srotartsnomed .noitcurtsnoc noitcurtsnoc noitcurtsnoc seinapmoc sliatkcoc dehsalc deniahc tpmetta ta sa dna dna na stsivitca eciloP votoloM

gnop-gnip ylralucitrap stnenoppo eno slaiciffo fo fo gniteem ni sderdnuh puorg detcele gnirud licnuoc suoitnetnoc dekcuhc sllab ta a ,llaH ytiC tA .4202

Opponents of Atlanta’s public safety training center disrupt the City Council meeting at City Hall on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Leaders forged ahead with the project, arguing it would transform the way Atlanta’s first responders and emergency personnel are trained. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

daerpsediw tneloiv denrut semit eht eht taht .dedisbus nrehtuos denepo no shtnom ylegral ni evah snoitartsnomed retnec ta retfa serca blaKeD ,ytnuoC tuB 58 21

sraey ohw .gniniart ot ot eht eht eht eht delggurts tra-eht-fo-etats ezis gnidnes yas niater tiurcer edistuo ,sreciffo sreciffo fo erom ,sredael wal esaercni depleh evah sah .ecrof rof rof ytilicaf tnemecrofne retnec era dna seicnega eciloP nevE

eW“ ssalc-dlrow ssalc-dlrow gniniart ot eht taht .tnemetats nosrepsekops dias ytefas cilbup ”,lennosrep ruo fo won sdeen teem ni evah sah ytilicaf ytic na a a a eciloP tnemtrapeD atnaltA

ohw erew esu detaert ot esoht yeht yeht taht yas tup .slaiciffo yenom woh t’nevah evah nettogrof dluoc ytic yb retteb neeb deugra ,llitS

ohw detaroprocninu yeht eht ecnis ehs yas dias dediser ylsuoiverp edistuo fo reven srobhgien raen devil .stimil sti ni ni reh dah ytilicaf noitcurtsnoc ytic dna a ,doowrehtaeL ,blaKeD

eW“ yehT“ etov su ot eht ehs .dias thgir ”,evitatneserper ”.snoititep evah rehtag thguof rof rof neve t’ndid t’ndluoc tsniaga a eW .snekciD licnuoC ytiC erdnA

”tneloiv“ ”.ecilop-itna“ saw gniniart rehtegot ot ereht meht eht eht sretroppus dias sretsetorp ro fo pmul wal lebal tnemecrofne troffe detrecnoc retnec yb sa dna dna osla lla a doowrehtaeL

eW“ ohw erew tnaw ot eht ehs .dias ecilop elpoep reciffo t’ndid ”,srac nrub

ohw sgniht eht troppus emos ,srosseforp fo srebmem evah deldnah ,ytilicaf neve .yltnereffid emirc dluoc neeb dna egdelwonkca lacoL licnuoC ytiC s’atnaltA

s’tI“ tI“ gnorw ohw saw su etanutrofnu snrut ”,gniniart koot ot .emit ,ereht eht eht taht dradnats os dias ytefas cilbup rebmem ynam ti ti ti si si dlog teg rof rof ylemertxe tub ”.laicifeneb ta a tnediserP ,teertsrevO icraM licnuoC licnuoC reilloC ytiC

Atlanta police and fire recruits stand in front of the leadership building at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Since its opening, Atlanta police have held nine graduation ceremonies there, and the fire department has held three. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

dluow nihtiw yhw erehw saw ot ot ot eht eht ehs ehs ees dias tup ,revo .dedeen erom dekil ti ti evah dah od snoissucsid ytinummoc retnec dna tuoba teertsrevO fI

eht taht yltnacifingis detfihs dias cilbup stsetorp rosseforp ecilop noitpecrep fo redrum ssam wal remrof .dewollof tnemecrofne ygolonimirc ,niatpac dna dna retfa a ytisrevinU sueddahT etatS sihpmeM ,nosnhoJ aigroeG egroeG s’dyolF 0202

repeed“ tI“ uoy nehw saw saw gnisu ”.drawot siht siht eseht naht .dias secruoser ”,gnicilop elpoep rehto yenom ekil ,seussi ssensselemoh eh evah evah enog leef dluoc dna tuoba tuB

elihw erew gniniart ot rieht dias thgir sretsetorp fo ynam si ,tnatropmi .derongi leef snrecnoc era nosnhoJ s’atnaltA

I“ dluow yaw saw ot kniht eht eht taht ,dias dedivorp elpoep ro ytinutroppo eno no gniton ti ”,draeh rof ytilicaf hguone ylrae t’nod ytic tliub eb eb tnerappa .rehtona nosnhoJ

ohw ohw erew seciov sevlesmeht eht eht dias sretsetorp tuo no fo erom ynam slacol morf ,srovaf ,rehtie denword od t’ndid dednecsed .yrtnuoc yb seveileb yna evissergga stsivitca ssorca ehT ,nosnhoJ atnaltA

Protesters head through a neighborhood toward the site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center ahead of a showdown with police on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (John Spink/AJC)

ohw saw ot eht eht eht egats gninnalp fo fo fo lacol ecitsuj nioj ni puorg demrof .ytilicaf strepxe gnirud tnemtraped ygolonimirc lanimirc eettimmoc sriahc ta deksa dna na gnoma yrosivda ,noitartsinimda a nakloV ,illapoT royaM ecnaL ahsieK ,USG ’smottoB

saw elitalov gniniart ot emit eht eht eht eht ,dias thgir ecilop fo lanoitan .tnemevom elddim ni ni eh noisiced retnec emac dliub dna ytilibatnuocca a tI ,atnaltA

elaselohw“ t’nerew llew yaw ,deniart ot eht taht nekat emos .ylsuoires ,dias dias snoitadnemmocer hsup noitneverp no sreciffo .sdohtem ti tnemtsevni dedulcni ni ni saedi mih eh eh rof ylrae emirc desab-ytinummoc eettimmoc raelc ”egnahc reggib gnieb emaceb sa sa era a a a riehT tuB

yehT“ ohw erew ot eht eht ecivres dias ylkciuq gniyap fo pil tfel tsuj ”,tupni aedi .puorg ,illapoT

detnaw“ hcihw gniniart ot sgniht rieht eht eht ”.smret dias nwo no desiardnuf rof od ,retnec dna detacovda illapoT eciloP ,noitadnuoF atnaltA

evom“ esuaceb“ koot ot ot s’ereht eht ,dias elpoep ecno gnihton s’ti s’ti ”.ti gniog noitadnuof drawrof od ”stsoc ytic ,tliub ,tliub eb ta era ,hcaorppa dna dna lla tuoba elba a illapoT ehT

Volkan Topalli, a professor at Georgia State University, says the Atlanta Police Foundation, which advocated and fundraised for the training center, “wanted to do things on their own terms.” (Branden Camp for the AJC 2021)

gniniart ot yeht eht eht eht eht dias nur snosaer .ecalp eno eciffo fo fo rebmem si ni gnildnah rof tsrif tlef dellepmoc s’ytic retnec aesleK licnuoC ytiC dnoB atnaltA

tI“ ohw saw saw saw yrev gniniart ereht eht eht taht dias ytinutroppo tnenoppo fo on ”,tupni morf rof ylrae ytinummoc raelc .retnec gninnigeb na ,dnoB

dluow saw etov gniniart ot eht eht taht taht detroppus .deimyts dias stnediser mudnerefer hsup no evah rof troffe ,retnec tub dewolla a dnoB

eW“ oT“ ew ew saw tnaw ”,etov dlot ot sgniht eht taht taht tuhs ees .dias ssecorp nwo ruo ni fi tnemnrevog teg ylemertxe egagne troffe nwod ,enod ”.gninetraehsid citarcomed ytic era dna dnoB

Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond says the city’s handling of the training center is one of the reasons they felt compelled to run for office in the first place. (Courtesy of Kelsea Bond)

eht eht eht eht eht taht gnilur noissimrep eciffo fo dedeen etal egduj si ni ronrevog morf rof hcae deppord .noisiced ,segrahc degrahc .esac yb gnignirb erofeb gnilaeppa stsivitca a OCIR lareneG sirhC s’rraC rraC yenrottA sA GA 16 ,3202

etorw ohw gniziladnav gniniart ,emit eerht esoht meht eht eht gnitroppus yltnecer ,sretsetorp .noitucesorp noissimrep etats-fo-tuo eciffo eciffo fo fo fo rettel detcidni tog morf rotcartnoc retnec dna gnisucca a sihT ,pmeK .voG .eirroG ytnuoC bboC s’rraC rraC nairB dleifsarB

ereht detseggus .sretsetorp erom sah rof neve dluoc segrahc eb lanoitidda rraC

roF“ ,sraey ohw ew ylsuorogiv esoht .tnemetats dias gnitluser gnitucesorp ytreporp etavirp ,ecilop noillim ni ni ni eh evah yortsed ”,segamad nrub neeb kcatta dna dna a afitnA 05$

,raey deniart eht dias stiurcer stiurcer ecilop ecilop gninepo ylraen tsal sti evah erif .ytilicaf ta dna ecniS atnaltA 854 002