Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to build a $95 million Public Safety Training Academy in West Garfield Park moved forward today with City Council’s approval of the acquisition of 30.4 acres of vacant land at 4301 W. Chicago Ave.

“This academy will ensure Chicago’s public safety officials have the best tools, technology and training to best serve Chicago’s residents,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Today’s vote marks the next major step in building this training academy, which is a significant investment in both West Garfield Park and in public safety for every neighborhood in Chicago.”

The new campus will include indoor and outdoor training spaces that both extend the current training capabilities of the Police and Fire Departments as well as offer more joint-training opportunities. The state of the art training campus will include two buildings, employee parking and an outdoor training area with key functions like indoor shooting range, diving pool, conventional classrooms, conference rooms, administrative offices, auditorium, practice range and fitness facilities. The site will also include specialized simulation facilities for active scenario training, ranging from buildings, to CTA train cars, to city streets. It will also have a driving training pad and modular units for scenario base training as well as space for Fire Department extraction training, high-rise operations, search-and-rescue, and confined space rescue training.

Together, these features will ensure the new training academy will not only improve interagency collaboration in emergency response, but also expand the capacity for first responders to receive specialized hands-on tactical training in real-world situations.

"World-class training, based upon best practices and 21st Century policing, is at the heart of how we build community trust and make Chicago safer," said CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson. "The new Public Safety Training Academy will provide a state of the art environment for our police officers to gain these essential skills that will improve our service to every Chicagoan. I would like to thank Mayor Emanuel and the City Council for their investment in CPD's most valuable asset, our officers."

"Many of our emergency calls result in both the Chicago Fire and Police Departments responding jointly and we currently do a great job. The new Public Safety Training Academy will allow us to further enhance our effectiveness by training together in a controlled environment," said Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago.

Approximately $9.6 million in land acquisition costs will be funded through Tax Increment Financing (TIF). The site is located within the Northwest Industrial Corridor TIF District.

A separate proposal introduced to City Council today would amend the designated use for the site from industrial to institutional on the formal land use map for the TIF district. Uses are anticipated to include an indoor shooting range, diving pool, conventional classrooms, conference rooms, administrative offices, auditorium, practice range and fitness facilities, as well as specialized simulation facilities for first responders.

Last month, the Chicago Infrastructure Trust (CIT) in coordination with the City of Chicago issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the design, construction and financing of the complex, Responses are due on Nov. 20, 2017.

The purchase of the property is expected in early 2018. Construction would start shortly afterwards, creating 100 temporary jobs on site.

# # #