SUNY Niagara Law Enforcement Academy

Forging the Future: A Next-Generation Law Enforcement Training Facility

The Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy (NCLEA) plays a vital role in training current law enforcement and corrections officers, newly hired officers, and future recruits. However, the campus’s outdated classrooms, equipment, and technology necessitated significant upgrades to prepare officers for careers in a modern policing era.

In May 2021, LaBella introduced a conceptual design for a state-of-the-art law enforcement training facility—the first new building on campus in many years. This innovative project promised to transform the campus, providing advanced educational opportunities and reinvigorating the training environment.

The new two-story, 15,000-square-foot facility is designed to meet evolving training requirements and better prepare future officers. It features cutting-edge technology and hands-on training spaces. On the first floor, three flexible classrooms with movable walls accommodate various class sizes, while a state-of-the-art Use-of-Force Training Simulator Room features the VirTra V-300—a five-screen, rear-projection virtual reality system. This simulator enables officers to engage in thousands of de-escalation scenarios they might encounter on patrol.

The entire second floor is dedicated to hands-on physical training. A reality-based training space with customizable, movable walls allows trainees to navigate real-world scenarios such as domestic disputes, hostage extractions, and active shooter responses. Additionally, a combat training room with padded floors and walls is available for defensive tactics instruction.

The facility also includes modern, mixed-gender locker rooms with showers, as well as private, gender-neutral changing and shower accommodations located within each locker area to ensure inclusivity and privacy.

This state-of-the-art training center seamlessly blends classroom flexibility, physical training capabilities, and immersive simulation technology, equipping future law enforcement officers with the tools and experience needed to face the challenges of today’s policing environment.

Training for Tomorrow

The training facility features a Use-of-Force Training Simulator Room equipped with virtual reality technology, allowing officers to practice de-escalating a wide range of scenarios they may encounter on patrol. The combat training room is lined with padded floors and walls to ensure safety during defensive tactics exercises.

Additionally, a reality-based training area includes movable walls, enabling officers to customize the building’s layout and simulate responses to emergency calls, such as hostage situations. The facility also includes three traditional classrooms with movable walls, providing flexibility to accommodate various class sizes.

Blending Modern Design with Campus Tradition

To seamlessly integrate the new facility into the surrounding SUNY Niagara campus, LaBella developed a materials drawing during the conceptual design phase. The exterior design and material selections offer a modern yet contextual representation of the existing college architecture. Key materials include a fiber-reinforced cement wall panel rainscreen system, brick veneer masonry water table, cast stone, corrugated metal wall panels, and aluminum-framed insulated glass windows and storefront systems.

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy celebrates its 50th anniversary and the opening of its new facility.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on November 19, 2024, where members of the press were invited to tour the new facility. This provided the community with an inside look at the state-of-the-art training center designed to better prepare law enforcement officers to protect both the public and themselves.

Read more on the ribbon cutting at the WNY Papers site below.

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