By Patricia Berryhill
The Georgia Department of Public Safety headquarters has been located in the SAND/ NPU-W neighborhood for over 86 years. The DPS was created in 1937 and originally located at the site of the “Confederate Soldiers Home” (built in 1890). The second headquarters was built in 1956 at the point where three southeast Atlanta neighborhoods—Ormewood Park, Woodland Hills, and Boulevard Heights—meet. The DPS oversees the day-to-day operations of the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), Capitol Police and the Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD).
This past July, several prominent Georgia dignitaries, including Governor Kemp, attended the grand opening and ribbon cutting for the new Georgia Department of Public Safety headquarters facility site, replacing the old 1956 headquarters. Located at 959 United Avenue S.E. in the same massive state-owned complex, the new headquarters are touted as “…modern and [with] cutting-edge technology that will serve DPS for generations to come.”
The new building houses headquarters staff, including the Command Staff and the Troop C Radio Room. The DPS complex also houses Troop C Command, Post 48, Post 49 Motor Unit, NightHawks DUI Task Force, Criminal Interdiction Unit, and the Crime Suppression Unit. The DPS is currently working to complete construction on a new and improved guard shack, which will be substantially larger than the old one and have covered areas for the Cadets to stand while manning the gate.
The complex is also home to the Georgia National Guard, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and the Georgia Department of Transportation Traffic Management Center.
Sidebar: In case you’ve ever wondered why you often see GSP patrol cars on United Avenue, it is because the troopers must respond to all calls of service in the Metro-Atlanta area, not just the surrounding neighborhoods.
As for the old headquarters, it has gone the way of so many other “outdated” Atlanta buildings. The old midcentury architecture-style complex has been demolished, and the construction company is working to turn that into green space that will complement the surrounding neighborhoods. There will be no new buildings built in the area designated as green space, which means DPS will not have a training facility constructed at this site.
The existing DPS training centers are the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth for Trooper and Motor Carrier Schools, as well as some in-service, firearms, and driving training. They will continue to use this facility for their basic, advanced, and in-service training.
For more information about the Georgia Department of Public Safety:
Department of Public Safety Headquarters / Command, 959 United Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30316
Directions: https://dps.georgia.gov/locations/department-public-safety-headquarters
Main Office: 404-624-7700
Mail: P.O. Box 1456, ATLANTA, GA 30371
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Website: dps.georgia.gov
ADA: https://dps.georgia.gov/ask-us/ada-and-public-safety
FAQs: https://dps.georgia.gov/ask-us/general-faqs
Open Records Request: https://dps.georgia.gov/ask-us/how-do-i-submit-open-records-request
Public Information Office: 404-624-7597, gsppio@gsp.net
Resources: https://dps.georgia.gov/ask-us/resources
Request a Safety Meeting: https://dps.georgia.gov/ask-us/request-public-safety-meeting
