Atlanta Police Foundation Provides Home for New Recruits and Security is Key
In 2020, the Atlanta Police Foundation opened a 15,000 square foot living facility where up to 30 police officers in training can be housed within a highly secured environment.
It all started when an Atlanta police trainee was found sleeping in his car, as he couldn’t afford to pay high rent costs. Working with the Atlanta Police Department and the city, the Atlanta Police Foundation, a department affiliated non-profit, secured an abandoned property on which Unity Place was constructed. The facility includes a community room, fitness center, and secured parking lot.
The facility is located in a west side urban neighborhood, which is typical of the area where policing activity is often needed. Marshall Freeman, chief operating officer of the Foundation, explains the reasoning for Unity Place’s location. “We think it’s critically important that a person who takes the [police] job from out-of-state understands the community and the residents they’re going to work with and serve every day.” The recruit housing facility not only familiarizes recruits with the city, but also provides a “cop on the street” presence in that neighborhood.
To implement a comprehensive electronic security system for the facility, local security dealer Compass Security Solutions joined with Axis Communications and 2N access control to install a state-of-the-art integrated security system, using 25 Axis fixed dome cameras with HDTV 1080p imaging. Video analytics from Axis provide real-time alerts for events such as persons loitering at the entry gate. According to Freeman, “The analytics are mind-blowing, because they allow us to minimize the workload on investigators.”
The 2N access system controls personnel entry into the building. The surveillance system is integrated with the access control system to provide real-time verification that the person presenting an entrance credential at a door is indeed the person to whom the credential was issued.
It can be a difficult decision for a young person to decide to dedicate their career to law enforcement. With the Unity Place development, recruits can live in a highly secured environment while providing them access to the “real world” where they will be serving. According to Freeman, “Everybody definitely feels secure, which is important to those who live there.”
Dealers in other cities might have opportunities similar to the one that Compass Security Solutions pursued with the Atlanta Police Foundation. Find out if your community has a foundation similar to the Atlanta Police Foundation and if so, explore how you might work with the foundation on initiatives such as Atlanta’s police trainee housing complex.
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