City council questions updated Dallas Police academy plans

Dallas city manager Kim Tolbert told council members Wednesday that a meeting between the city and UNT-Dallas last weekend provided clarity on a long-anticipated plan to construct a law enforcement training academy for the Dallas Police Department.

The city plans to move forward with a new DPD academy in two phases at two separate locations.

The updated project carries a $150 million price tag, up from the original $140 million first proposed in 2021.

campus and will focus on instruction for both existing police officers and new recruits who have completed a portion of their basic training, including passing an exam to become a certified peace officer.

The proposed DPD Regional Training Academy and Criminal Justice Center at UNT-Dallas carries an $80 million price tag.

The second phase of the project will cost an additional $70 million and will require locating an additional 60-acre site to house features like reality-based training and larger classrooms.

Tolbert said Wednesday the city is looking at a site near I-20 and J.J. Lemmon Road, near the intersection of I-45 as a possible location. It is a site Tolbert said the city already owns.

Dallas voters approved $50 million for the project with approval of the 2024 bond last May. The city received an additional $10 million in a grant from the Communities Foundation of Texas and the state lawmakers earmarked another $20 million as well.

Mayor Eric Johnson said the proposed changes to the original plan need to be explained in a clear and transparent way.

"The bigger picture is let’s not mess up the city’s reputation for honest dealing in Austin and with our voters in an effort to protect anybody’s reputation," Johnson said.

Council member Kathy Stewart said changing the plans doesn't reflect what voters thought they approved during the bond election.

"The core purpose of this training facility was for the new recruits," Stewart said. "I know that’s the public perception and I believe we’re reneging on that.”

City staff said $91.5 million of the $150 million needed has already been raised.

Lynn McBee, a non-profit leader working to secure private donations, told council members every person she's asked to contribute, has donated, but admitted she stopped asking in recent months, citing the uncertainty on the direction of the project.

"Until we have clarity around what is being done, I do not feel like we can go out in good conscience and ask people to give to something that we don’t exactly know is concrete," McBee said.

McBee added after receiving the updated plan from Tolbert and city staff, raising the additional needed funds won't be an issue.

The city proposes groundbreaking on phase one on the UNT-Dallas campus in summer 2026 with an opening sometime in 2028.

A timetable for phase two, which would focus on space for new recruits, is yet to be determined.