Cop Cities, USA

Click on the flag to link to one source for the information on that project location.

Methodology and Basic Information

Methodology and research

• The timeline for facility research was limited to those that were built, planned or construction began after 2020. This date was selected due to information gathered regarding the Atlanta Cop City, and the acceleration of the project which occurred after the uprisings which follow the police murders of both George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.
• The initial search, which resulted in approximately two dozen facilities in (or close to) urban areas, determined enough projects were being planned or constructed in multiple places after the 2020 protests to further confirm the necessity for the research.
• The scope for research was expanded to not only include urban areas. In mid-October, 2023, a search was conducted by state, alphabetically. At that time, 47 cities/counties were found, with documents (meeting minutes, construction/architecture firms, news articles, and/or press releases) confirming the existence of such a project.
• In preparation for a presentation with the National Lawyers Guild, a secondary search was conducted. The purpose was solely to confirm the 47 initial projects. While doing so, another 21 were discovered. While creating this map and webpage, another project was added.
• As of February 17, 2024, the spreadsheet, which can be found below, provides information on any project related to the assessment, planning, approval, construction, or opening of a renovation or expansion of a Public Safety, Police Training, Academy, or Department in any state. 

Projects overview

• Discovered evidence of 69 related projects
• There are three states in the entire country without plans for this type of project. Those states are North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming
• Five of the projects seem to have viable plans to construct prior to 2020, but they are included as there would be no way to ascertain with certainty that the uprisings of 2020 had no impact on the project completion timeline.
• A number of the projects upon reviewing multiple documents, indicate prior efforts, but the major push for those project began, in earnest, after the uprisings of 2020.

Project ranges

Price

• The cost for all of the projects was not available via internet research.
• Cost for 55 of the 69 projects were confirmed, and range from just under 1M ($999,000) to a proposed $415 Million.
• 20 of the 55 projects cost (or are projected to cost) less than $20 Million.
• 19 of the 55 projects cost (or are projected to cost) between $20 Million and $50 Million.
• 9 of the 55 projects cost (or are projected to cost) between $50 Million and $100 Million.
• 7 of the 55 projects cost (or are projected to cost) over $100 Million.

Size

The confirmed range for the size of these projects are as low as a 3,500 square foot structure on 3 acres to 366,000 square foot village on 146 acres. The largest being planned, did not include details on the actual facility, but the proposed site is a whopping 800 acres.

Full Spreadsheet with all links:

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