The Jefferson County Council voted unanimously Monday night to join a regional partnership to build a $50 million law enforcement training facility in St. Louis County.
Two council members, Brian Haskins (District 1, High Ridge) and Scott Seek (District 5, Festus), changed their minds and voted for the partnership after voting against it in a 4-2 preliminary vote on Aug. 11. Seek said after much consideration and speaking with Sheriff Dave Marshak and others, he now fully supports the proposed facility.
Monday’s vote approved a partnership agreement with St. Louis, St. Charles and Franklin counties called the Gateway Regional Law Enforcement Training Center Commission.
The commission is tasked with overseeing a $50 million Missouri Department of Public Safety grant approved by the Missouri state Legislature to fund the construction of a new regional training center to be used by law enforcement departments within the four counties.
The grant does not cover unforeseen construction costs or ongoing maintenance costs for the facility, meaning the commission will need to find a way to provide future funding for the facility.
The St. Louis and St. Charles county councils, along with the Franklin County Commission, approved the partnership in July.
Preliminary plans call for the proposed facility to be built near the intersection of I-64 and Hwy. 141 and include a shooting range, secured driving track, and two basketball courts, among other features. The proposed location is considered the demographic center of the participating agencies.
Haskins and Seek both questioned the need for another training facility at the Aug. 11 meeting, considering the county already has a law enforcement training center through Jefferson College. The college operates its Law Enforcement Academy at its Arnold campus and recently spent $5.2 million to renovate and expand the program.
Marshak said the Sheriff’s Office values its ongoing partnership with the college to train deputies, adding that the partnership won’t end with the construction of the regional training facility.
As of August, Sheriff’s Office deputies had earned 996 training certificates from the Jefferson College Law Enforcement Academy this year, with 970 of those taught by Sheriff’s Office employees using the college’s facilities and some of its equipment, Marshak said.
“I met with nearly every police chief in the county, and they expressed support for this project, knowing that this facility is designed to supplement, not replace, existing training programs,” he said. “The Sheriff’s Office is the largest law enforcement agency in Jefferson County, with responsibilities that go far beyond routine patrol typically found in a municipality. We handle SWAT, crime scene operations, computer crimes, narcotics, internet crimes against children and, soon, lab services.
“From homicides to officer-involved shootings, these critical areas demand advanced, specialized training. The truth is, Jefferson College doesn’t have the resources or funding to provide the level of training required by our deputies to carry out these duties.”
Seek said he originally intended to make a motion to remove the final vote on the training facility bill from the agenda to “allow for more scrutiny.”
“I’m not against law enforcement,” he said. “What I am against is not having the scrutiny that’s needed. However, after hearing Sheriff Marshak’s comment, which directly addressed the comments raised by the municipalities in my district and Jefferson College, I feel those concerns have been sufficiently answered. My intent was not to stall the process, but to ensure cities and our college and our citizens had clarity on the proposal.”
More on the facility
Marshak said the 80-acre training facility would provide critical training scenarios, mimicking real-life events law enforcement officers face.
The facility would be used by more than 5,000 officers across the four participating counties for basic training and annual, ongoing training. The facility would include simulation rooms, tactical operations training spaces and public-viewing catwalks over certain training rooms.
Marshak said Jefferson County’s share to maintain the facility and cover training costs there would be an estimated $20,000 to $30,000 annually, covered by the Sheriff’s Office training budget and grants.
“Every day, our deputies and officers are asked to make split-second decisions, some can save lives, protect victims and de-escalate dangerous situations,” he said. “They deserve the very best training possible.”
According to county documents, the commission that would be in charge of making decisions regarding the proposed facility would be made up of a total of eight members, with some from each county.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page would appoint four members to the commission; St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann would appoint two members, and Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon and Franklin County Presiding Commissioner Dave Schatz would each appoint one member to the commission.
Marshak said St. Louis and St. Charles counties would have more representation on the commission because those counties have a larger law enforcement force than Jefferson or Franklin counties.
Opposition
Seven people from Jefferson and St. Louis counties spoke against the facility at Monday’s meeting, with some calling the proposal a “cop city” and a “combat country club.” Six people, some from the county and some not, spoke in favor of the agreement.
De Soto resident Linda Lyons said she was worried that Jefferson County wouldn’t have enough representation on the commission.
“They have already decided the ideal location is 80 acres near the intersection of (I-64) and Hwy. 141 – some of the most costly real estate in the area,” she said. “We get one out of eight (commissioners), meaning we will not get a lot of say on all these decisions, including contracts, salaries, anything like that.”
Marshak said Jefferson County will work with its partner counties to ensure transparency and accountability, providing the public with regular updates about the project.
“The Gateway Law Enforcement Training Center is more than a facility,” he said. “It’s a commitment to officer safety and community safety alike.”