FORSYTH, Ga. — The Georgia Public Safety Training Center provides courses for law enforcement, fire safety, emergency medical staffs and more.
But beyond making an impact on the preparation of Georgia's law enforcement, Forsyth Mayor Eric Wilson says the center also makes a serious economic impact on the city of just over 4,500.
"Training center has had a very positive impact I would say on Forsyth. Of course there's employment for local people who work there. There are a lot of people who come from all over the state to get their training here," Wilson said.
The center offers training on fire safety, dive teams, patrol, firearms, forensics and more. Instructor Kevin Angell said all the training offered helps make Forsyth a hub for law enforcement across the state.
"We have coroner training on our campus, EMT training on our campus. We have the motor carrier division as well. We call those resident agencies because they also provide training on our campus so it's definitely one of the biggest hubs in the state of Georgia," Angell said.
The training center has dorms on campus, but they give students the option to stay in town or use hotels as overflow.
In 2022, Forsyth's Convention and Visitors Bureau said they had 200,000 hotel stays. The training center was responsible for half of them.
Mayor Wilson also believes the training center helps prevent crime.
"People always say it's a bad place to commit a crime because per capita you got a lot of law cars and a lot of law enforcement here," Wilson said.
He also expects local fire and law enforcement to be well-trained.
"There's no excuse for our guys not to be trained. Both law enforcement and fire are able to use the academy just like anyone from around the state but our close proximity makes it easier for our guys to go out and take classes," Wilson said.
Mayor Wilson enjoys the partnership and hopes it continues to grow.
"It's very much integral to our community and intertwined with our community. People know Forsyth because of the training center," Wilson said.
Angell said whenever people in town see the training center logo on their shirts, they ask questions and are invested in what they've got going on.