UNT Dallas gets $10 million for new law enforcement training center

The University of North Texas at Dallas will receive $10 million for its new law enforcement training center, a yearslong construction project aimed at improving training facilities for police.

The Communities Foundation of Texas’ grant marks the largest philanthropic gift in the university’s history and helps pave the way for a new Dallas police academy by 2027, officials announced at a news conference Thursday. CFT is also the fiscal sponsor of The Dallas Morning News’ community-funded endeavors.

The new academy is meant to improve the Dallas Police Department’s training experience and boost recruitment and morale, particularly in light of steady drops in police staffing numbers in recent years. City officials have repeatedly decried the worn-down state of the current academy, which houses about 300 police recruits.

“This new facility will let our officers know that they are seen, that they are valued and that they are appreciated for their noble sacrifice and service,” Dallas police Chief Eddie García said.

García said the new academy represents an investment “into the heart and soul” of the department. The current academy is housed in a rented industrial space in the Red Bird neighborhood and has been used by the department since 1990, although it was originally only intended to be temporary, García said.

The chief said officers’ needs have tripled the last three decades and the academy doesn’t have enough room for showers and bathrooms for recruits. In the City Council’s public safety meetings, elected officials have criticized the academy’s mold and odor from decades of sweat and lack of locker space.

“It is embarrassing and it is not indicative of who we are,” García said. “They deserve better. Our city deserves better.”

The new center is set to be located next to a park on 5 acres of UNT Dallas’ campus, officials said. It will feature more communal spaces and classrooms, expanded gym facilities, outdoor running paths and virtual-reality training technology. The facility will also serve as a regional training center for other police departments in the area.

The project was projected to cost about $150 million, police officials previously said.

The state legislature committed $20 million last year, and the city of Dallas hopes to allocate an additional $50 million through this year’s bond package, which the city council will vote on next week. If approved, residents will vote on it in May. The city hoped to obtain the rest through private funds and charitable grants.

Bob Mong, president of UNT Dallas, said the initiative reflects a commitment to attract more local youth and adults to careers in law enforcement. He said he saw the state of the academy about five years ago, which “was enough to shock me and enough to stir my own determination to get this thing pulled together.”

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said the project has been “years in the making” and can set a new standard for law enforcement training nationwide as well as “turn the tide” in recruiting.

Dallas police have struggled to replenish ranks amid high attrition rates, even with the introduction of new incentives and programs in recent years to retain and recruit officers. The department has about 3,000 officers, down from the 3,500 to 3,600 it had in 2014 before hundreds left during a pension crisis in 2016-17.

Wayne White, CFT’s president and CEO, said their grant builds upon a first-of-its-kind partnership between the philanthropic organization, academia and law enforcement.

“Dallas is second to none when it comes to generosity and public-private collaboration,” he said.