Atlanta Police Chief shows police academy to highlight need for training site

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum walked Atlanta News First through the doorways of the Herbert T. Jenkins Atlanta Police Academy Tuesday.

Chief Schierbaum said the location was designed for elementary school students in 1955 and was only supposed to be temporary.

“I used to be the academy director here and I would arrive early in the morning with some of our staff, we had to go through the hallways to make sure that all of the dead cockroaches had been removed,” Chief Schierbaum said.

The chief said the building was deemed unsafe in August 2021.

“Our showers got to the point where they could not be used, sewage was backing up into those showers.”

Schierbaum said the facility had no clean drinking water or an operable gym.

“We actually got to the point where certain training partners declined to come and offer the specialized training that we needed to be an effective and trusted police department.”

He said eventually in August 2021 officers had to move out and currently have to drive an hour to train in some cases.

He said the conditions in the facility have also made it very hard to retain officers over the years, and he said it’s why it’s time for the community to invest in the new public safety training site.

“To spend $90 million to train your fire, and your police department properly is actually the right and wise investment. It’s something we’ve neglected for years and when you’re playing catchup sometimes that’s the price tag,” Schierbaum said.

The chief expressed his excitement for the new public safety training site and said he is looking forward to moving into the facility at the end of next year.

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