Dallas presents revised police training academy plan: UNT Dallas site plus separate public‑safety complex

City staff and Dallas Police Department leadership on Wednesday unveiled a revised proposal for a Law Enforcement Training Center that pairs a campus at the University of North Texas at Dallas with a separate public‑safety complex for vehicle and firearms training.

The updated plan combines classroom and basic‑academy functions on a roughly 20‑acre UNT Dallas site with a second, larger public‑safety campus (EVOC, tactical village, outdoor range) sited elsewhere on city‑owned land. City staff and architects said the two‑site approach preserves academic partnerships while providing the land and safety buffers required for reality‑based field training.

Why it matters: Council members and police leaders said a modern training campus is critical for recruiting, training and retaining officers and for meeting state accreditation and continuing‑education requirements. Council members pressed staff for clear cost estimates, procurement timelines and confirmations of state funding and lease terms.

Key elements of the revised plan

- UNT Dallas campus: The proposal describes a multilevel training complex of roughly 300,000 square feet on about 20 acres that would house the basic peace‑officer academy, in‑service classrooms, a multipurpose training center and a 1,000‑seat auditorium that could host graduations and community events.…