Nearly 100 people gathered on February 25 to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the new Manatee Technical College (MTC) Law Enforcement Training Center in Bradenton, Florida — a 70-acre, $7 million facility that was nearly two decades in the making.
In collaboration between the Bradenton Police Department, Manatee Technical College and the School District of Manatee County, the new facility is a game-changer for law enforcement training, offering state-of-the-art resources for recruits and officers. The facility includes a 50-yard outdoor pistol range, a 200-yard outdoor rifle range, observation towers, a driving pad, a 1,000-square-foot simulated shoot house, a firearms cleaning station and a classroom building with offices and storage.
Approved on July 28, 2021, the project was funded through capital funds, state capital improvement grants and sales tax revenue. Among those in attendance at the ceremony were Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown, Manatee County School Board Commissioner Chad Choate III, Manatee County Schools Superintendent Jason Wysong and Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan.
“This training facility is more than just a place to learn and grow,” Chief Bevan told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “It’s a symbol of progress, preparedness and professionalism. It exemplifies what we can achieve with collaboration, a shared sense of purpose and is truly what makes our region — and those who lead it — just as good as it gets.”
The road to completion wasn’t easy. The facility’s original budget was a third of its final cost, but inflation and additional project requirements steadily increased expenses. Meredith Censullo, public information officer for the Bradenton Police Department, noted that clearing the Palmetto trees from the land was also costly. Prior to this development, officers had to drive through a farmer’s land to access the shooting range, which had no shelter or restrooms.
MTC Law Enforcement Academy Director Jay Romaine has been a big backer of the project since 2007 when he first proposed the idea to city officials. At the time, he was told it was a great idea, but there was no interest in making the investment. Eight years later, MTC’s old training facility was shut down, and recruits were forced to train out of town, paying expenses out of pocket.
“That just always stuck in my craw,” Romaine said.
After years of setbacks, state and school board funding finally allowed the project to move forward. “I’m excited for the future of our recruits and our law enforcement in Manatee County because we finally have that state-of-the-art facility that we have all begged for so long, and we needed it so badly.”
Beyond training recruits, the facility will serve as a regional hub for law enforcement agencies seeking advanced training. The investment is expected to generate revenue as departments from outside the area take advantage of its top-tier resources.
Wysong highlighted the facility’s role in school safety and law enforcement education. “If this facility in any way better prepares you to keep our kids safe, then it was worth every dollar and every single hour invested,” he said.
