This Brookings commentary examines the controversy surrounding the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center—known by critics as “Cop City”—and raises questions about its role in advancing public safety.

This Brookings article explores how police violence—both fatal and nonfatal—impacts public health, erodes trust in institutions, and contributes to long-term social and economic harms. The commentary argues that the consequences of aggressive policing extend far beyond individual incidents, reshaping community well-being, especially in Black and Brown communities.

This research seeks to understand the current and emerging policy landscape that addresses racial health disparities in policing. Evidence has shown that a Black person is killed by police approximately every 40 hours in the United States.