The new Vancouver Police Training Academy officially opened on Thursday in the Woodward’s building.
Forty recruits already began their studies at the facility, located at 351 Abbott St. in the Downtown Eastside, and the students are expected to start working in the city next June.
Another 40 recruits will begin their studies there in January.
“This state-of-the-art Academy represents a new chapter in the history of the VPD and, crucially, in how recruits are trained to become officers who will serve the unique and dynamic policing needs of Vancouver,” Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Chief Steve Rai said in a statement.
The Vancouver police last had its own training program in 1978.
The training academy spans 30,000 square feet over three floors and occupies the former London Drugs space.
“The Academy is a foundational addition to the Woodward’s building and to the Downtown Eastside community,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a statement.
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“Greater police presence in the area is already showing a positive public safety impact with the addition of District 5 operations and will only continue to improve now the Academy is running.”
The City of Vancouver provided $4 million for the work, which included $2.8 million for the establishment of District 5 and $1.2 million for the academy. Additional costs are fully funded within the approved Vancouver police budget.
The academy features:
- A virtual reality room where recruits can work through a multitude of high-pressure policing scenarios, including crisis intervention and de-escalation, mental health, and strategic communications
- Two large classrooms and two smaller classrooms designed for active learning with smaller cohorts to enhance the instructor-to-recruit ratio
- A report-writing room where recruits hone administrative capabilities
- A dedicated police radio channel for communications training
- A gym that includes a turf floor section for training
- An athletic therapy space
- A massage, physiotherapy, and first aid room
- A cafeteria
The Vancouver police museum will also move into the Woodward’s building.
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