ATLANTA — A new $1.3 million Georgia State Patrol post was announced Friday for increased security "around the clock" in Buckhead, the Governor's Office said.
It will be posted at the Governor's Mansion and have 12 GSP troopers directly assigned to it, with the capacity for 30 troops to utilize it.
The Governor's Office said the $1.3 million for the post was made available in the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget by the Georgia General Assembly. The post will provide "increased accessibility to and security for the Buckhead community and surrounding areas around the clock," a release said.
It will be a 1,750-square-foot facility with a garage bay adjacent to the mansion. The construction of the post, the governor's office said, would "maintain the historical integrity of the Mansion and surrounding grounds."
According to a statement from Gov. Brian Kemp, it appears troopers will be directly involved in responding to crime in Buckhead. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns said in a statement it would "improve response times to incidents in and around the City of Atlanta."
Gov. Kemp said in his statement, "With this new patrol post, our dedicated State Troopers will have another base of operations as they take the fight directly to criminals, and I look forward to seeing its positive impact on the Buckhead community.”
The governor's office said that once the post is complete, access will be available via Woodhaven Road off West Paces Ferry Road.
GSP already has a smaller presence on the Governor's Mansion grounds, providing security at the site itself.
“Security’s obviously needed in the area," said Monique Seefried, a neighboring resident.
Andrew Klein, another nearby resident, said he knows the violent crime in the past year in police zone two, which includes Buckhead and across the rest of Atlanta.
“Having more police presence is not necessarily a bad thing, but at the same respect, just curious on where it’s coming from," Klein said.
Violent crime had been so bad in Buckhead that many residents wanted to secede from Atlanta and form their own city.
However, earlier this year, the governor helped put a stop to those efforts, at least while he’s still in office.
It was then that legislators and the governor approved the idea for a new Buckhead State Patrol Post on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion to fight crime in north Atlanta and beyond.
Officials have not said there's any connection.
President of the Buckhead Coalition Jim Durrett said he supports the new Buckhead State Patrol Post. He said he's for it to drive crime rates down even more.
"And it's going to bring more police presence in the Buckhead, which will help everybody feel a lot safer than they have over the past several years," Durrett said.
The state said construction will begin next year.
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