A new Law Enforcement Training Center at Wichita State will provide unprecedented experience for students in WSU’s Criminal Justice Program.

The center – which will be built on the site of WSU’s Innovation Campus – will include training space and classrooms for the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department, Wichita Police Department and criminal justice students, who will also greatly benefit from internships, cooperative education and applied learning opportunities through the partnership.

Construction will begin this fall and be complete in a year.

The announcement was made after the county and city unanimously approved a letter of intent to build the new $9.5 million training center. County commissioners unanimously approved the proposal one day after the letter of intent was approved. A formal vote on the proposal by the city is still required.

The state-of-the-art facility signifies a major partnership between the county, city and Wichita State – a collaboration that strategically positions the university and law enforcement to best serve the needs of the community.

“Training law enforcement officers and having criminal justice students in the same building will be beneficial to all three partners and to the citizens we serve,” says Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.

The first floor will include rooms for tactical training and fitness, 911 backup/training, crime scene incident and quartermaster’s rooms for the WPD and Sheriff’s Department.

The second floor will primarily house classrooms for the WPD and Sheriff’s Department, and the third floor will include classrooms and offices for the WSU Criminal Justice Program, which includes the Regional Community Policing Institute and the Midwest Criminal Justice Institute, 500 students and 12 faculty and staff.

Current students, faculty and staff see great value in the new partnership.

Wendell Nicholson graduated from WSU in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree and works as a patrol sergeant for the WPD. He recently returned to WSU to earn his master’s degree.

“This new training center will enable the Wichita Police Department to build a partnership with WSU, give us access to top-notch training and aid in recruitment efforts,” he said. “A new training center has been long overdue, and this will be an excellent opportunity that will help the WPD and encourage officers to pursue their educational aspirations.”

The project will be funded by the city of Wichita and Sedgwick County. Innovation Campus infrastructure funding will cover the costs of providing parking for the building, and the university will cover maintenance fees for the building for the first five years at approximately $200,000 a year.