Dallas voters could be asked to approve $250M for police training facilities

DALLAS - Dallas voters may be asked to approve a $250 million bond package in order for the city of Dallas to complete the construction on two Dallas police training facilities.

The city said it’s on track to break ground on the law enforcement training center at the University of North Texas in Dallas in August. But since the gun range is not allowed on the college campus, a second facility will be needed, raising the cost of the project.

Dallas Police Training Upgrades

What we know:

On Wednesday, Dallas city staff presented council members with the plans for the UNT Dallas facility, as well as the second facility that could be located at the Dallas Executive Airport.

The second facility would be a public safety training complex. In addition to the gun range, it would also include a simulated village.

In order to pay for it, the city will have to ask voters for $250 million.

What they're saying:

The complex was originally scheduled to be built after the training center, but Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said the department can’t wait for the upgrade.

"Once I got hired, I had to go qualify day one that I got here. And I was embarrassed about my firing range. And that was my first day on the job. I couldn’t believe that the city of Dallas had a firing range that looked the way it looked," he said.

Chief Comeaux said he learned the city of Dallas first promised police a new gun range and academy back in 1987.

"That’s when I graduated in high school. And now I’m an old man. And we still don’t have a new facility in Dallas," he said.

The chief said that if Dallas does not move forward with the two facilities, it will impact recruitment as the city tries to comply with a voter referendum to bring the department up to 4,000 officers.

"Right now, we’re recruiting at the highest level for police departments, really across the United States. That’s not gonna continue if we can’t come up to standards with other departments. We’re lacking, and it’s bad," he said.

The other side:

Several Dallas City Council members voiced their frustration over having to ask voters for more money.

"Here we are going back to the voters potentially, and asking them to foot the bill again," said Councilman Adam Bazaldua. 

Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn called it poor planning.

"Now, when the $50 million was added to the bond, I very vocally said that’s not enough money in a meeting. I got yelled at," she said. "Well, let me tell you, here we are because we never put in the right amount of money to begin with."

What's next:

The Dallas city manager said staff will bring an update in May or June with a plan to fund both facilities at the same time.

That is when the council will decide if they will ask voters to approve a bond for the project.