Public Safety Training Center

The new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center will reimagine law enforcement training, catapulting APD and Atlanta Fire Rescue to the vanguard of major urban law enforcement agencies.

This long-promised commitment to the citizens of Atlanta is slated to open its first phase in late 4Q 2024. Construction is underway on 85 acres of land owned by the citizens of Atlanta for more than a century, near Constitution and Key Roads – on the site of the City’s previous law enforcement training center and where APD has conducted its tactical training for more than 30 years.

The project will incorporate a state-of-the-art facility, including: an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course to train firefighters and police officers safe driving techniques, a lab to develop and test technological innovations, a training fire station, a mock streetscape to simulate real-world crisis situations faced by law enforcement officers, and a leadership institute where police officers and firefighters can immerse themselves in the latest advancements in law enforcement management.

In addition to the focus on tactical training, the PSTC will emphasize cultural awareness, community knowledge, and the variety of citizen concerns that modern policing in a diverse city requires of an effective and trusted law enforcement agency.

The PSTC will make possible better collaboration and joint training of APD and AFR, along with partner agencies in metro Atlanta.

Like most cities across the nation, Atlanta, the South’s largest city with the largest police and fire departments, struggles with recruitment and retention. The PSTC has already changed the dialogue among rank-and-file officers and new recruits, who can see this state-of-the-art complex taking shape, and who know it will improve their professionalism and enable them to execute their oath to provide for the safety and security of the people they protect.

Best-in-class organizations require first-rate training. Policing and firefighting are continually evolving. In late 2024, Atlanta’s citizens will have law enforcement agencies whose cultural, operational and community training regimens will be the best in the nation.