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Enid Police open new defensive tactics center; chief says facility will boost training and bring revenue
Summary
The police department detailed a new 60x100 foot defensive tactics center that will house defensive‑tactics mats and full‑court recreation space, host two basic academies annually and serve continuing education for regional departments.
The Enid Police Department briefed the mayor and commissioners on a newly completed defensive tactics center behind the department’s training building, saying the facility will centralize defensive‑tactics instruction, host two basic police academies a year and attract officers from across the region.
“People say, ‘This looks a lot smaller on the outside,’” the department’s chief said during a tour‑style briefing, adding the interior is a regulation full court and contains four defensive‑tactics mats, interior pads around beams to reduce injury risk and provisions for multiuse recreation such as basketball, volleyball and pickleball. The chief described the building as 60 by 100 feet and said it was designed to match the existing training center’s roofline and neighborhood appearance.
The chief told the commission the department has hosted nine basic academies since 2020, each with about 12 to 18 cadets, and that the department aims to be the training hub for the northwest portion of the state. The department currently hosts two basic academies per year, plus continuing education and Citizens Police Academy classes; the chief estimated the facility is occupied about 75% of the time.
The chief said the new space reduces the department’s previous need to borrow gyms from schools and churches for defensive‑tactics training, saving staff time and creating downstream revenue for local hotels and restaurants when out‑of‑town attendees stay for classes. The city approved a civilian coordinator position to support training logistics; staff said the coordinator was created by reallocating an existing civilian records position after a software upgrade reduced the workload in records.
Commissioners asked about tours, scheduling and public use; the chief said tours are available on request and the department plans to host interdepartmental events to build camaraderie among city staff and first responders. The commission discussed a potential future driving track to round out the training campus; staff said that would be a larger, later piece of the training program.
Why it matters: centralizing training can reduce recurring costs and create modest local economic activity from visiting trainees, while improving the department’s ability to meet state continuing‑education requirements.
