York Regional Police opens new training facility
Enveloped in shadows, save for streaks of red and blue light from a nearby police cruiser, a York Regional Police officer knocks on a door that’s already ajar.
Into the apartment, he calls out “Lyle? Police. Lyle are you there?” The officer moves steadily down a narrow hallway and sidesteps around a corner on his right.
Peering around the pale wall, he sees Lyle leap up from his couch and reach for an object on a coffee table. Suddenly, a beer bottle careens toward the officer and he takes cover behind the corner.
The beer bottle hits the wall and lands quietly, harmlessly, on the floor. It’s a prop, like almost everything else inside these walls. The couch, the coffee table and the large, menacing knife on its surface: All soft, squeezable foam, or bouncy, malleable rubber.
But the elements inside the apartment walls—which can be removed or reconfigured to recreate a wide variety of environments—look and feel real. The tools in this practical skills training room help members of the Training and Education Bureau conjure up thousands of unpredictable situations into which officers could be thrust at any moment.
The room is just one item on a list of hundreds of cutting-edge details included in the new Training and Education Facility, which opened in 2017. Dozens of dignitaries, members of the public and media were on hand for a grand opening tour of the nearly 90,000 square-foot facility on July 12.
“More than 125,000 training hours will be delivered in this building each year,” said Chief Eric Jolliffe. “Our community benefits from the skills and development of our people and we are grateful for this beautiful and contemporary place to learn.”
The $30 million facility, which was in development for more than a decade, replaces
a handful of facilities that the organization had long outgrown or were renting, including a training space at #4 District headquarters in Vaughan, an abandoned school in Nobleton and the Sharon Gun Club.
Members of the Uniform Recruiting Unit can now offer prospective police constables a glimpse of the cadet experience. Events once held off-site, like employment information sessions and the York Regional Police Women’s Symposium, will be hosted at the new facility.
“Our organization has a national reputation as a leader for our pioneering and state-of-the-art training,” Chief Jolliffe said. “This new facility will enhance our ability to ensure we remain at the forefront of policing excellence in Canada.”
