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Indoor and outdoor tactical villages will host simulations of high-risk incidents such as active shooters, hostage situations and barricaded subjects.
A new and ultramodern Pennsylvania State Police Academy began construction in Hershey Dec. 18 following a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by Gov. Josh Shapiro and other state and law enforcement officials.
When complete in 2028, the estimated $300 million facility will be the most comprehensive update to the Academy since it opened in 1960 and will help the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and municipal police departments across the state to remain well-staffed, trained, funded, and equipped, according to a news release from the governor's office.
Shapiro, standing alongside Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Department of General Services (DGS) Secretary Reggie McNeil, and PSP Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris, also unveiled design plans for the new world-class law enforcement training facility.
The modernization project will replace outdated infrastructure with multiple new buildings totaling 366,000 sq. ft. on the 146-acre site in Hershey, including a five-story Marquee Building with modern classrooms and administrative offices, 300 individual cadet dormitories, a 500-seat auditorium and a spacious cafeteria.
In addition, the new PSP facility will include a physical education building with two gymnasiums, a training tank and a weight room to provide space and equipment for self-defense training, water safety courses and fitness conditioning. Indoor and outdoor tactical villages will host simulations of high-risk incidents such as active shooters, hostage situations and barricaded subjects.
"The new Pennsylvania State Police Academy will be a state-of-the-art facility second to none in [this] country that will give cadets hands-on learning opportunities that will better prepare them for service in our communities," Shapiro said in the statement released by his office. "I firmly believe that every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe in their community.
"Policing is a noble profession, and good people want to come here to this academy and train for a career in public service," he continued. "It's on us to invest in them and give them the resources they need to succeed."
Additional facilities at the new PSP Academy will include a new headquarters for the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations, horse stables for the Mounted Unit, a central supply warehouse and a vehicle garage at the Pennsylvania State Police Historical, Educational and Memorial Center.
"I want to thank all of the cadets for your selfless commitment to keeping our communities safe," noted Lt. Gov. Davis. "For the folks that live in rural communities, the state police are their police department, and many Pennsylvanians come from those small towns and townships to attend this academy because they are inspired by the state troopers they meet in their communities."
Davis added "our state troopers deserve the best training and the best facilities to ensure they are prepared for what lies ahead. We can never thank them enough for their service to the Commonwealth."
Modern PSP Academy Long Overdue
The existing Academy facilities will remain operational throughout the next several years of construction, according to the governor's office, which will include the demolition of several existing structures.
To build the new PSP Academy, the Pennsylvania DGS awarded a $205.5 million general construction contract to Wohlsen Construction Co. in Lancaster; a $37 million HVAC contract to Midline Mechanical LLC, in Ephrata; a $42.8 million electrical contract to Glenmoore, Pa.-based Philips Brothers Electrical Contractors Inc.; and a $20.1 million plumbing contract to Jay R. Reynolds Inc., in Willow Street, Pa.
"Updated facilities and amenities are long overdue here at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, the nation's premier law enforcement training facility," said the PSP's Paris. "The new Academy will support the highest level of instruction for cadets, troopers, and our law enforcement partners."
Next year marks 100 years of training law enforcement recruits in Hershey. The Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol secured the use of the former Hershey Inn, on Cocoa Avenue, from Milton S. Hershey and began training there in 1924. The Highway Patrol later merged with the PSP in 1937 and continued training at that site until 1960.
In the 2023-24 Pennsylvania budget, Shapiro secured new funding for four PSP cadet classes to train 384 new troopers, filling staffing gaps and ensuring that the PSP force is well-funded and well-trained.
In August, he and Paris announced that the PSP would remove the college credit requirement for Pennsylvanians who want to serve as state troopers to expand opportunities for individuals seeking careers in state law enforcement. In the two months following that announcement, the PSP saw a 258 percent increase in applicants taking the test to become state troopers.
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