Multiple Police Training Facilities Planned for Region
Date Posted: January 30, 2025
Posted In: News, Projects,
From West Newsmagazine: On both sides of the Missouri River, wheels are in motion to create cooperative law enforcement training centers, both with similar goals – to advance and standardize the training and skills of police officers. While proponents of each hope the facilities will complement each other, these training centers are currently being pursued and funded separately.
In St. Louis County, the process of creating a state-funded $50 million regional law enforcement training center has started. While the concept has been discussed in the past, the St. Louis County Council just recently approved the execution of a contract for legal services to negotiate intergovernmental agreements necessary to create the St. Louis County facility.
In 2024, the O’Fallon and St. Charles City formally partnered to build the $28.5 million Center for Advanced Skills Training in Law Enforcement, located off Hwy. 79 in northeast O’Fallon. Construction of the O’Fallon facility began last summer with phase 1, a 200-yard live firing range, slated for completion this spring, and additional phases to begin soon thereafter.
“We are aware,” St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer said, “that there are other parties who have ambitions to build a different facility in another, yet to be determined, location. We did, in fact, request an $8 million grant (from the state), which we agreed to match. It was declined. We are still moving forward despite that rejection.”
State funds to support the O’Fallon facility were cut from both the Fiscal Year 2024 and 2025 Missouri budgets by former Governor Mike Parson; however, last year Parson earmarked $50 million in funds for the construction of the St. Louis County training center.