Long Beach’s new police training academy is almost complete, city officials said this week — and is set to open next year.
The new facility will allow the Police Department to train 100 recruits at a time, as the agency continues working to decrease staff shortages.
The City Council unanimously approved increasing funds by $11 million to finish construction on the project during its Tuesday, Dec. 2, meeting.
The rebuild of the police training academy, 7290 E. Carson Blvd., was completed in October and is anticipated to host the Long Beach Police Department’s Class No. 100. But earlier this year, the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training issued updated statewide requirements for police training facilities, according to a staff report. Long Beach’s new facility did not meet the requirements, and the project needed additional money to be completed and approved by the council.
A new police training academy has been one of the council’s primary investments in public safety, which the city has been working on for several years, officials said. The new facility will now meet the Police Department’s current and future training needs necessary to meet the increased service demand caused by the increase in Long Beach’s population.
“We’re a major city Police Department that’s trying to grow and fill current and existing vacancies,” police Chief Wally Hebeish said during the council meeting. “We’re trying to demonstrate and highlight the benefit of working in the Long Beach Police Department, and for the city of Long Beach. It is a recruitment tool, and we’re trying to enhance and continue to grow our training capabilities for larger class sizes.”
The new facility will double the number of recruits that the Police Department currently is able to train in its temporary facility, which has been used for the past two decades, City Manager Tom Modica said.
Long Beach’s new police training academy is anticipated to open at the end of 2026. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
Long Beach’s new police training academy is anticipated to open at the end of 2026. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
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Long Beach’s new police training academy is anticipated to open at the end of 2026. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
The project includes the construction of a new building that houses showers, lockers and restrooms, as well as a new academy building with classroom and office spaces. It also includes site upgrades to the main parking lot, new storm drains and infiltration systems, landscaping with drop irrigation, and ADA upgrades.
In 2023, Long Beach restarted the design for the new academy and started construction that same year. Earlier this year, POST issued updated statewide requirements for police training facilities that directly affect the areas used for instruction and evaluation for the Work Sample Test Battery, a five-part physical agility test, and existing Realistic Active Combat and Gas House training facilities, according to the staff report.
“Luckily, we do have space on site to fit these additional spaces and additional training areas,” said Josh Hickman, director of Public Works. “However, there are some environmental remediation that needs to take place before we can construct the RAC training structure, the Gas House training structure, and the obstacle course, which includes the Work Sample Test Battery.”
To prevent delays in reopening the police training academy, POST granted a temporary waiver to use alternate training and testing sites while the city completes the necessary remediation and construction to meet the updated requirements, the staff report said.
These improvements are anticipated to cost nearly $11 million, including $4 million for the environmental remediation, $2.5 million for the obstacle course, and about $4 million for the training structures that will be manufactured off-site and brought in for installation, Hickman said.
The total project cost is estimated at $44 million, according to the staff report. That money is coming from $25.6 million in Measure A, $5.5 million in general capital and $2 million in police impact fees funds.
The City Council voted 7-0 to approve amending the contract with the current contractor, New Dynasty Construction Co., to complete the additional facility improvements. The city anticipates starting construction early next year and opening the academy by the end of 2026.