NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As crime rates continue to rise across the nation, Tennessee is working to equip law enforcement with the tools needed to keep communities safe.
The state is making a historic investment of $415 million into a Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Training Academy to be built in Nashville.
The campus will include training facilities for state and local law enforcement, housing and dining for cadets and in-service staff, and a new administrative headquarters building for the Tennessee Department of Correction and the Department of Safety & Homeland Security.
The vast majority of law enforcement officers across the state will receive training at this campus. It'll be along the Cumberland River in the Cockrill Bend area of Nashville.
Governor Lee says it is time for change to fight crime.
“Unprecedented times call for unprecedented support. I’ve always said that every Tennessean deserves to feel safe in their community, and this shared facility will significantly enhance training and resources that law enforcement agencies need to deliver that quality of life,” said Governor Lee.
This effort to find crime comes in addition to the state adding more than 200 Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers to patrol, funding $60 million toward law enforcement bonuses for recruitment and retention and $150 million toward the Violent Crime Intervention Fund.
The MALETA campus will encourage collaboration between agencies and efficient use of taxpayer resources. Tennessee is one of the few states in the nation to invest in this type of shared law enforcement training campus facility.
“I remember walking through those facilities and there were tiles missing, a 40-year-old bathroom and bunk rooms that I wouldn't want to stay in. I got a vision that day, almost 4 and half years ago, that we needed to do something different in this state,” said Governor Lee.
The facility will be used by the TN Department of Commerce & Insurance, Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, the TN Department of Homeland & Security, the TN Department of Corrections, the TBI, members of the TN Highway Patrol, and the TN Law Enforcement Training Academy.
Phase one of construction will begin by Spring 2024, with the third and final phase of construction beginning in 2025.
