(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“Today is a sign of our community’s investment in that academy.”

The “academy” referenced by Beaver County DA David Lozier is the police academy, one of three new elements in the new Center For Public Safety at the Community College of Beaver County. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the new facilities at CCBC on Wednesday, attended by several local leaders in law and law enforcement, and presided by Lozier, CCBC President Dr. Roger W. Davis, and Beaver County Commissioner Jack Manning.

The new department comes at a time in which the numbers for staff in police departments and emergency services are moving backwards, which is creating potential burnout for the staff that remains. “We need to triple the size of our graduating classes,” Lozier added, “but like every other police academy in Pennsylvania–and probably in the country–there’s a critical shortage of young people interested in going to the academy.”

Included in the new facility are multiple classrooms for a traditional teacher/student educational setting, a crime scene room in which students can earn hands-on experience dealing with action in the moment, and Use of Force Simulation & Firearms Trainer that includes a wraparound screen to simulate a real-world experience.

“This opening of our facility reflects one of core beliefs of our institution; that the journey of education never stops,” Davis stated. “When a student earns a credential or diploma and walks across our stage at commencement, we really believe that those are just milestones and not the end point.”

To view photos from the grand opening of the CCBC Center For Public Safety, take a look at the gallery below.