County Council to Vote Soon on Regional Police Training Center

The County Council here will soon consider approval of an intergovernmental agreement with three other area counties to build and operate the Gateway Regional Law Enforcement Training Center.

The $50 million project, funded by the state, was first announced in April with the support of leaders from St. Charles, St. Louis, Jefferson and Franklin counties.

Since then, talks have progressed to establish how site selection, construction, and daily management of the facility will be decided.

"Regionalism isn't easy," Ehlmann says. "But we've reached a consensus on a plan that-if approved by the legislative bodies of our counties-will greatly enhance police training and public safety in the whole region."

Among the provisions of the plan:

• An eight-member governing commission with four members from St. Louis County, two from St. Charles County, one from Jefferson County and one from Franklin County
• Commission to select a site near the demographic center of region
• Commission is the recipient of a state grant for construction costs
• Public bidding process for construction

The plan coming before the St. Charles County Council must also be voted on separately by legislative bodies in the other three counties.

Once approved, the commission will work toward selecting a site and plan for construction.

Ehlmann has proposed locating the facility somewhere central the four counties, near Route141 and Interstate 64 in St. Louis County.

Under the plan, the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy would move into the facility and offer both initial and continuing education training for all police officers in the region. The training center will also offer training sponsored by the other member counties, which will be available to all law enforcement in their counties and beyond.

The $50 million state grant awarded by the Missouri Department of Public Safety will be used for building construction. Conceptual plans for the facility include replicas of an urban street and a home interior for real-world training scenarios, as well as virtual reality simulator rooms, traditional classrooms, simulator spaces and a specialized firing range capable of integrating vehicle-based firearms training.

The shared training grounds would provide courses for new recruits and veteran officers. The goal is to teach the highest standards of police protocols.

"Regional police departments will all have access to the same high-quality, hands-on training," says Ehlmann. "This will end the hodge-podge of different departments with different know-how."

The intergovernmental agreement is expected to be introduced for discussion before the four county legislative bodies in the coming weeks.