A massive law enforcement training facility in Georgia that serves about 70,000 officers a year and employs more than 1,000 has been turned into a ghost town, as the government shutdown sent all but a handful of workers packing.
The southeast Georgian site of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is so large it has its own ZIP code. But on Wednesday, the facility was near-silent. Only 45 workers remained on the job, due to mandated furloughs. Nearby hotels, beach resorts and shops that depend financially on the training center for business were similarly quiet, The Los Angeles Times reported.
County officials felt the impact of the Washington, D.C., budget impasse, too.
“It is absolutely horrendous,” said Mary Hunt, chairwoman of the Glynn County Board of Commissioners.
The 1,600-acre law enforcement training center sends about $600 million a year into the local economy, a county Chamber of Commerce official estimated.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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