CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi City Council voted Tuesday to approve funding for a new $21 million Corpus Christi Police Department police training academy.
The new 34,000 sq. ft., two-story building will occupy part of 10 acres of land near Del Mar College's Oso Creek campus on Yorktown Boulevard. In accordance with its partnership with the city, Del Mar College paid for preconstruction feasibility studies, traffic impact analysis, environmental studies, and supporting infrastructure for the academy.
Fulton Coastcon General Contractors LLC will be in charge of construction.
“The construction of this new Police Training facility will be the first in our city’s history,” said Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni in the release. “By having a modern Police Training facility, our Officers will have the training environment they need to prepare for the future of policing.”
The new facility will include an auditorium, two large classrooms, a driving simulator, a crime-scene training room, a range simulator, a cadet breakroom, an armory, a weight-and-exercise room, a defensive tactics training room and administrative offices. It also will have an outdoor running track, cadet parking, and a parking lot with security patrol.
The city also said the facility also can be utilized as a regional police training academy and a backup emergency operations center.
The money for the project will come from general obligation bonds, certificates of obligation, and the Fiscal Year 2023 general fund, according to the release.
Construction is scheduled to begin in January, and is expected to be done in Summer 2024.
The city bought the current police academy, located on Corona Drive, in 1981 -- a facility the city says the department has outgrown.
"I am truly thankful for the commitment and the Corpus Christi Police Department by the City Manager, Mayor, and the City Council,” said Police Officers Association President Scott Leeton. “The investment into a new training building will strengthen the Police Department’s training and educational levels even higher as CCPD continues to train our highly professional officers.”
