DALLAS — Dallas police are closer to getting a new training facility.
It was announced Thursday that the City of Dallas and UNT Dallas will be getting a $10 million grant from Communities Foundation of Texas, which is part of the Caruth Foundation.
It’s the largest philanthropic contribution to UNT Dallas in the university’s history. And money from that grant will be used toward a new police training facility.
The new center, which officials hope to break ground on later this year, will be located on a five-acre section on the UNT Dallas campus. It will include classrooms, a gym and workout facilities and virtual reality training technology for law enforcement personnel.
The training facility already has $20 million allocated through the state, officials say, and the project also needs $50 million from a proposed bond package on Dallas ballots in May.
If that bond gets passed, ground on the project is expected to be broken this year, and the training center could be finished by 2027.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said the department is trying to recruit more officers and provide better training, but the current academy is old and outdated.
"I’ll be honest with you, it’s embarrassing and not indicative of who we are," Garcia said of the current academy. "They deserve better. Our city deserves better."
Asst. Chief Catrina Shead who joined the department 28 years ago says the academy continues to fall into disrepair.
”It is exactly the same and we can stand a bit of improvement,” said Asst. Chief Shead.
The academy was built in 1990 as a temporary facility in the Red Bird area, but more than 30 years later it still serves as the academy. Officers have sometimes resorted to making their own improvements.
”Recently our officers spent $4,000 on lumber and supplies to build our own makeshift reality-based training scenario,” Garcia said.
But help is on the way: The new multi-million-dollar facility will be state of the art, officials said.
”I believe that this facility on this campus is going to set a new standard for law enforcement training all across America, but more importantly, it will support our officers here,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said.
Sgt. Ivan Gunter says a new facility will help officers be better.
”Training makes us more alert, more aware, more cognizant of what is happening, it helps us mitigate risks,” Gunter said.
UNT Dallas President Bob Mong said the project has been a long time coming.
”Years in the making, leaders in this community have said its past time to provide this best class police training,” Mong said.