PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WRTV) -- The director of Indiana's largest police academy on Monday said better training will lead to safer communities.
Officials including Gov. Mike Braun on Monday celebrated the completion of numerous upgradest to the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, or ILEA, which trains about two-thirds of all police trainees in the state. The centerpiece of the four-year project is a new scenario-based training village that opened two years ago. Since then, ILEA upgrades have included new classrooms, new training rooms and college-style dorm rooms. Trainees live on the academy's Plainfield campus five days a week for 16 weeks while they attend.
Lawmakers in 2021 set aside $70 million for the project. Although that amount was never expected to cover all expenses, the final price tag came in around $107 million, earning a rebuke from Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, at an October State Budget Committee hearing. Executive Director Tim Horty told News 8 the extra costs came from a combination of inflation, furnishings and greater-than-expected expenses for connecting utilities and HVAC systems between ILEA's old and new buildings. The extra funding came from a combination of American Rescue Plan funding and supplemental state appropriations.
Horty said the scenario-based training village is still by far the most critical investment.
"No longer do we have to say, 'Pretend like you're in a trailer park, pretend like you're in a liquor store,'" he said. "And we can put a student into that setting and right off the bat, it's ready to go."
Horty said a few last items are still in progress, including a new conference room and 40 refurbished dorm rooms. He said those finishing touches should be done by early September.
