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Friday, Mar. 15, 2024

Is a ‘cop city’ being built in El Paso, Texas?


yes

A “cop city,” or law enforcement training facility, is currently under construction in Northeast El Paso.

The Joint Police/Fire Department Training Academy is scheduled to be completed in winter 2025. It is part of a larger project funded by a $79.1 million bond approved by voters in 2019.

The project comprises a training academy for the city’s police and fire department, a fire department headquarters, and a vehicle maintenance and logistics center.

The training academy will house an indoor shooting range, fire training props, classrooms, an auditorium, and a mock courtroom. A PowerPoint presentation about the academy from the City of El Paso includes an image of a drug store, post office, and bank as “example police training amenities.”

The term “cop city” arose as a nickname given by protesters to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, a proposed law enforcement training facility in Atlanta, Georgia.

Correction (March 22, 2024): The previous version of this story incorrectly referenced the Eastside Regional Police Command Center. The facility referenced in the “cop cities” list is the Joint Police/Fire Department Training Academy.

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