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Breaking Ground on New Pennsylvania State Police Academy

[image] Department of General Services Secretary Reggie McNeil, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris, Governor Josh Shapiro, and Lt. Governor Austin Davis break ground. Credit: Commonwealth Media Services

Four shovels sinking into a row of dirt signified the start of construction for a new Pennsylvania State Police academy.

The new facilities will be constructed where the current academy stands, one building at a time as state police continue cadet training on the grounds.

The project is estimated to cost $387 million. The first phase, which will include the main building, is aiming for an October, 2026 completion costing $305 million.

“Our current academy has served us incredibly well since its groundbreaking in 1958," said Col. Christopher Paris, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner. "However, our training needs have expanded beyond what this current facility can provide.”

During speeches before the ceremonial groundbreaking, Paris placed an emphasis on how current cadets are trained in the use of force continuum, DE-escalation tactics, and how to respond in a mental health crisis.

Construction plans for the new facility include indoor and outdoor training spaces, dorms to accommodate men and women, a 500 seat auditorium, and an overall emphasis on energy efficiency and future-ready designs.

“We want to create flexible spaces for new technology to be incorporated into the infrastructure that we are putting in place," said Reggie McNeil, secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services.

A highlight of the indoor training is a new tactical village.

“We’re going to have an indoor town- more or less- complected with a hotel, a bank, a gas station, everything you need to simulate a real life environment where we serve and protect every day," said Lieutenant Adam Reed, a Pennsylvania state trooper.

Renderings of the new facility can be found here.

Cadets spend 6 months at the academy during training. Lt. Reed, who attended academy in 2006, laughed when asked what memories the current facilities hold.

"It's going to be bittersweet. You make a lot of memories here, and get really close to a lot of people," said Reed.

Past physical investment, the state police also received staffing expansions for this budget year. 385 cadet slots were approved, and then made possible last week when the cap on how many troopers are employed by the state was risen by 100 positions.


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