34,000-square-foot-building will cost $6.5 million
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office has broken ground on a $6.5 million building that will include a new training facility.
The 34,000-square-foot-building will be located on 2.3 acres adjacent to the Sheriff’s Office headquarters on Judge Edward Dufresne Parkway in Luling and will be an upgrade over current training housed in a wing of the old Boutte Elementary School building on Old Spanish Trail in Boutte.
“Training has always been at the forefront of my dream for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office. We have been able to take this agency from a country sheriff’s office, a rural country sheriff’s office to one of the most progressive law enforcement agencies in Louisiana,” Champagne said.
Champagne said it has long been one of his goals to increase training efforts amongst deputies.
“Training is the key to success in law enforcement, it is the key to apprehending criminals after they commit a crime, it is the key to prevention and it is the key to justice and service,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Office, which received Peace Officers and Standards Training (P.O.S.T.) certification in 2003, is one of only 26 P.O.S.T. certified training facilities in the state.
Since the training academy first opened its doors, 500 law enforcement officers have graduated from the 12-week program.
The academy is currently training officers from its 20th class, which includes law enforcement officers from eight agencies. In addition to training new law enforcement officers, the academy provides ongoing training for 40 in-service hours deputies are required to take each year.
The building will consolidate three other auxiliary Sheriff’s Office buildings in addition to the current training academy. Those buildings include the Special Services Department, which include the public relations department, D.A.R.E. program and school resource officers.
The multipurpose center will also house the Crime Victim Assistance division, which is currently located in a building on River Road in Hahnville, as well as a records depot.
In all, 30 Sheriff’s Office employees will be relocated to the building once it is completed, which is anticipated to be June 2015.
The building, designed by Murray Architects of Destrehan, will be able to withstand hurricane force winds of 150 miles per hour and will have a kitchen to be used during such emergencies.
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