Mayor Andre Dickens welcomed an invited audience to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Tuesday.
He thanked the Atlanta Police Foundation and said the idea for the project began before his tenure. The facility took about $118 million of public and private funds to complete on the 85-acre site.
The embattled project faced public criticism and protests, especially after activist Paez Terán was killed in DeKalb County's South River Forest in January, 2023 as officers tried to clear activists who were camping near the future site of the center, which protesters derisively call "Cop City."
Opponents, who collected more than 108,000 signatures in 2023, said voters should be able to revoke that lease, the Associated Press reported.
Dickens told the audience gathered at the ceremony the city would work to improve the surrounding community with trails, a safety ambassador program and masterplans for the remaining land.
Gov. Brian Kemp spoke after the mayor. He said "activists and criminals" had threatened many involved with the center's building on land part of the South River Forest.
"We have seen over and over again why we need well-equipped, well-trained law enforcement and first responders," Kemp said. He referenced Atlanta's participation in the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament and said the new center "will put us ahead of the curve for the challenges facing tomorrow."
Some of the training facilities' features were featured in a series of promotional videos on the Facebook page for the City of Atlanta Police Department, including programs to train law enforcement in CPR, a building to house the horses of APD's Mounted Patrol Unit, and a state-of-the-art training tower for firefighters.
