Innovative Law Enforcement Training Center to open on campus in 2028
faculty will teach Dallas police academy recruits and the city's officers will earn
credit hours toward a degree in a new Criminal Justice Center 鈥� all part of the cutting-edge Law Enforcement Training Center (LETC), for which ground was broken on Sept. 3, 2026.
蘑菇视频 Dallas President Warren von Eschenbach and 蘑菇视频 System Chancellor Michael Williams were among leaders and dignitaries shoveling dirt at the LETC groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 3, 2026
will sit on 20 acres of the 蘑菇视频 Dallas campus. It includes classrooms, indoor and outdoor physical training areas, computer labs, an event and community space and other areas for teaching and learning.
New Era of Training and Collaboration
鈥淔or too long, police training and higher education have run on separate tracks 鈥�
one preparing officers for the job, the other preparing them for a degree,鈥� said 蘑菇视频
Dallas President Warren von Eschenbach, PhD. 鈥淭his facility brings those tracks together.
It's a unique and innovative model that we believe the rest of the country will be
watching, and one we hope others will follow.鈥�
蘑菇视频 Dallas President Warren von Eschenbach speaks about the academic benefits of the Criminal Justice Center at the LECT groundbreaking event
The LECT will be the premier law enforcement education and instruction facility in the U.S. and the only one built upon such a novel partnership between the city and a public university. It will provide basic and advanced training in a one-of-a-kind setting, where a successful criminal justice and sociology department already exists.
鈥淵oung people attending 蘑菇视频 Dallas will learn about careers in criminal justice and
law enforcement that they never considered,鈥� said State Sen. Royce West (D-TX 23).
鈥淭his endeavor will help recruit the next generation of officers 鈥� the best and brightest
in the country.鈥�
An artist's rendering as an aerial view of the multi-building LETC on the 蘑菇视频 Dallas campus, expected to open in 2028
Much of the funding for the $200+ million center comes from a May 2024 bond approved by voters, as well as the State of Texas and generous gifts from private donors and the Communities Foundation of Texas. The remaining amount needed to close the gap is expected to be generated by an ongoing outreach and fundraising campaign and a second bond election in November.
Generational Investment, College Credit for Officers
鈥淭his is a generational investment in public safety,鈥� said Lynn McBee, the city鈥檚
Workforce Czar and one of the key fundraisers for the facility. 鈥淭his is the result
of collaboration among the city, the state, the university and the philanthropic community.鈥�
A rendering of the entrance of the LECT at 蘑菇视频 Dallas
蘑菇视频 Dallas criminal justice students will benefit through close proximity to the rigorous training cadets undergo. In turn, recruits and officers already serving will earn credit toward a degree:
- An officer who completes the Dallas Police Department's academy, a ten-month program, can earn up to 42 hours of academic credit toward a baccalaureate degree
- Officers who complete TCOLE-licensed training, a six-month program, can earn up to 33 hours
蘑菇视频 Dallas already offers and , with concentrations in areas such as mental health policy and .
Dallas Police Department command personnel will have opportunities for executive leadership training and instruction in other topics 鈥� all in an effort to elevate their knowledge, skills and capabilities.
The 蘑菇视频 Dallas College of Law in downtown Dallas provides additional pathways for an advanced degree.
Stopping Crime Before It Happens
鈥淲e will be the most proactive police department in the U.S.,鈥� said Chief Daniel Comeaux. 鈥淲e want to stop crime before it happens.鈥�
The department needs to hire hundreds of new officers and a new police academy of this stature is long overdue. It will replace an aging, rented warehouse where training has been conducted since 1990.
"They (new officers) will carry what they've learned into the neighborhoods of the
City of Dallas," said Sen. West.
A rendering of the outdoor yard for physical training of Police recruits at the LETC
蘑菇视频 Dallas faculty and staff will assist in the evaluation of DPD programs, advise on policy and conduct research into the effectiveness of various initiatives.
鈥淭he backbone of public safety is the men and women who wear the uniform,鈥� said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. 鈥淭hey deserve world-class training, tools and resources. Dallas will set a new standard for police training.鈥�
Designed to Meet Many Needs
The LETC鈥檚 design has evolved over the past several years through input from the city and police leaders, the university, the community and architects specializing in such facilities. The primary design firm is HKS; others will be involved in construction and project management.
Cadets and horses from the Mounted Patrol shown in a rendering of the outdoor 蘑菇视频 Dallas training area of the LETC
鈥淭here's something powerful about proximity. Locating the 蘑菇视频 Dallas Criminal Justice Center alongside the Training Academy means our students will be learning just steps away from where the work actually happens,鈥� said President von Eschenbach. 鈥淭hat's an experience you can't replicate in a traditional classroom, and it will shape how we teach criminal justice at 蘑菇视频 Dallas for years to come.鈥�
The city plans to build a separate Public Safety Training Complex on the property of Executive Airport for a shooting range, simulated city for tactical exercises, and an emergency vehicle obstacle course (EVOC) for training officers to drive in crisis situations.
The LETC on the 蘑菇视频 Dallas campus is expected to open in 2028.
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