Charlotte police want a training center. Opponents fear for new ‘cop city’
Central Piedmont Community College says a planned training facility will be a great resource for local law enforcement.
But local activists worry that the $118 million project — dubbed “Community Lifeline” — will be a “Cop City” like the one that has drawn protests in Atlanta.
What is it?
Central Piedmont Community College is partnering with Mecklenburg County to build the facility at its Levine campus in Matthews.
In a news release, the college pointed to the area’s rapid growth, which it said creates a greater need for emergency medical services, fire protection and law enforcement.
“Our region relies on our first responders and emergency personnel every day, and with our expanded programs and new best-in-class facilities, we can provide safe spaces for these brave individuals to train, learn and grow,” Central Piedmont President Kandi Deitemeyer said in a statement.
The training facility will feature “simulation spaces replicating real-life emergency scenarios,” like a townhouse or hotel, according to the college’s news release. There will be a driving course and a soundproof firing range, it said.
It will expand academic programs, too, the release said.
But building it will be a long-term effort.
“We have just started to do some clearing of the land,” college spokesperson Catherine Butler said. “It’s not going to be fully operational until 2028. We’re in the very early phases.”
Law enforcement, first responders rally around project
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said in a statement that the new facility “will provide our officers with advanced training in realistic, high-pressure situations, making them better prepared than any previous generation.”
Other law enforcement and emergency response leaders, including Interim Matthews Police Chief Penny Dunn, Charlotte Fire, and MEDIC, say they support it.
“This partnership will facilitate the unification of first responders within our county, enabling joint training sessions at the newly constructed state-of-the-art training facility. With this facility, we will enhance our preparedness for future challenges and ensure the continued safety and well-being of our community,” Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said in the college’s press release.
Activist concerns
“In reality, (the project) makes the campus unsafe, fostering an atmosphere of fear and surveillance — particularly for students and community members from demographics that have fraught relations with the police,” organizers with the group Stop Cop City CLT said in an email to The Charlotte Observer.
That group has been speaking out about the project and runs an Instagram page chronicling protesters’ concerns about transparency.
Among the group’s concerns: the $100 million-plus price tag, acres of trees being cut down to make room for it, guns being brought on campus for the firing range and an alleged “veil of intentional secrecy” in its planning.
A similar idea in Atlanta became part of the national discussion around policing and criminal justice reform in 2023 and last year. Protesters there called it “Cop City.”
Protests over that facility turned fatal when police shot an environmental justice activist 57 times in 2023.
“This facility is worrying on several levels,” Stop Cop City CLT said of the planned Matthews facility.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 8:30 AM.