CMPD and other law enforcement agencies broke ground Tuesday morning on a new de-escalation training facility in southwest Charlotte.
Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt, CMPD Chief Kerr Putney, and others spoke at the groundbreaking for the facility, which will be located next to Charlotte Police and Fire Training Academy at 1770 Shopton Rd.
The 3,400 square-foot facility will cost $2.4 million to build. The city will provide at least $900,000, which City Council approved last November. It will share the construction cost with the FBI and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation, an organization that provides tools and training for police officers.
Special Agent John Strong, who leads the FBI’s Charlotte office, said the Bureau was contributing up to $1 million to the facility.
"It’s an investment to do everything we can to make sure every officer, every agent, every person in law enforcement, understands lives are on the line — the community, and ours," Strong said.
When completed, the facility will host de-escalation training scenarios for officers. It will also feature a 1,900-foot classroom that can train up to 50 students at once. The facility is expected to open in June.
Back in November, Putney announced his department was outlining its de-escalation policy in writing, including a written defintion of the term "de-escalation." He said CMPD had always used de-escalation in police training, but decided to define the policy after consulting with community groups.
