Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) participated in Wednesday’s official groundbreaking for the Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Training Academy (MALETA) in Nashville’s Cockrill Bend.
The $415 million site campus will have housing and dining facilities for cadets and in-service employees, local and state law enforcement training facilities, and a new administrative headquarters building for the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security and the Tennessee Department of Correction.
According to the press release, most of the state’s law enforcement officers will get training at MALETA.
Lee said this new training academy will help equip Tennessee law enforcement with the tools to keep communities safe.
“As Americans face rising crime nationwide, Tennessee is equipping law enforcement with the tools needed to keep every community safe. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented support. I’ve always said that every Tennessean deserves to feel safe in their community, and this shared facility will significantly enhance training and resources that law enforcement agencies need to deliver that quality of life,” Lee said.
The MALETA campus attempts to improve training for law enforcement personnel, foster greater agency cooperation and information sharing, and achieve significant financial savings. Due to the facility’s flexible scheduling capabilities, the campus will house more than 400 cadets and 200 in-service professionals on-site. The training facilities will also provide space for commuter workers and students who train and attend daily classes.
According to the press release, MALETA will be built on around 800 acres of state-owned land near the Cumberland River in Nashville’s Cockrill Bend neighborhood. The first construction phase is scheduled to start by the spring of 2024, followed by the third and final phase in 2025.
Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) said that this new campus will encourage law enforcement collaboration and efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
“The safety of our citizens and the enforcement of our laws is our primary responsibility as a state government. This outstanding new campus will allow our law enforcement officers to be trained in a truly state-of-the-art facility. The multi-agency nature of the MALETA campus will encourage collaboration between agencies and efficient use of taxpayer resources. Tennessee is one of the few states in the nation to invest in this type of shared law enforcement training campus facility. I believe this facility will be critical in ensuring our law enforcement officers remain the best in the nation at keeping citizens safe,” McNally said.
State House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said that the historic groundbreaking of the new MALETA facility shows Tennessee’s commitment to law and order.
“This is a historic day as we break ground on the new MALETA facility. The Governor and the General Assembly partnered to provide a state-of-the-art law enforcement training facility for the professionals who protect and serve our communities and families every day. Today’s groundbreaking is an indication of our state’s commitment to law and order,” Sexton said.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI), the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy (TLETA), the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST), the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security (TDOS), the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) will all use MALETA facilities to train members of the local police force, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and corrections officers.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, The Arizona Sun Times, and The Tennessee Star. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Bill Lee” by Tennessee Department of Safety.
Only $415 million when Ford got $1 billion? Lee is slipping in spending our tax dollars.
In the past, Law Enforcement said they were outgunned on the streets, so we militarized them. Decades later, we’re building a half billion dollar complex to bring their training to where it’s on par with Federal standards. And they always said it was for the safety of the citizens…….
Mr. Bill “I’m a Conservative” Lee never met a spending project he didn’t like or an Unconstitutional power he didn’t attempt to abuse. The feckless Tennessee GOP should ashamed for not offering up a primary challenger for this RINO.
I am all for this, as long as it is not an Urban Warfare training center. Local and State Police should not be training for Urban warfare or we risk losing everything to an out of control authoritarian government. We are not there at this point, and we should do all we can to prevent that from happening. We do not need our police to be paramilitary.