MO Department of Public Safety Awards $50M to Build Police Training Academy
Date Posted: April 15, 2025
Posted In: News, Projects,
From St. Louis Public Radio: The Missouri Department of Public Safety this week awarded $50 million for the construction of the Gateway Regional Law Enforcement Training Center.
Leaders from St. Louis, Jefferson, St. Charles and Franklin counties gathered Thursday at the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Transportation Management Center in Chesterfield to celebrate the occasion. They said they’ve worked on the collaborative effort for years.
The police training facility will provide courses for new recruits and veteran officers, as well as virtual reality simulator rooms. It will also feature a gun range, an auditorium, classrooms, at least two gyms and a simulation area with a public mezzanine.
Lt. Col. Norman Mann, commanding officer of the Division of Operational Support at the St. Louis County Police Department, said the facility will be a game changer for recruitment efforts.
“This is a long time coming for us,” Mann said Thursday. “Truly a morale booster for our police officers and future police officers. People will come in and observe the type of training that we’re putting on and actually have more of an interest to join the field.”
Departments with few training resources will also benefit, officials said Thursday. Training will be provided to officers across the region, beyond the four counties involved in creating the academy.