The Pennsylvania State Police is building a new $387.8M training academy in Hershey to modernize facilities for troopers. The Marquee Building and other structures are under construction, with completion expected by 2028. The project aims to equip cadets with state-of-the-art resources and enhance training capabilities for law enforcement.
Photo courtesy of PAcast
The new Pennsylvania State Police Academy will house modern classrooms and administrative offices, 300 individual cadet dormitories, a 500-seat auditorium and a spacious cafeteria.
The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) provided a progress report on Oct. 30 concerning the construction of a new Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey, a project that will completely modernize the 64-year-old campus and ensure troopers are trained in the best possible environment for decades to come.
"Following months of site preparation, construction has begun on the most visible aspect of the project: the five-story Marquee Building overlooking East Hersheypark Drive," said Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens, PSP's deputy commissioner of operations. "This world-class facility will serve as a reminder to all who see it that the Pennsylvania State Police is committed to providing the best and most professional police service possible to the residents of our Commonwealth."
The Marquee Building is designed to house modern classrooms and administrative offices, 300 individual cadet dormitories, a 500-seat auditorium and a spacious cafeteria. When construction of the facility is completed, the current Academy building will be demolished to make way for new training facilities.
"This modernized facility is designed to meet the evolving needs of law enforcement training, ensuring PSP cadets are equipped with state-of-the-art resources for their critical roles in serving and protecting our communities," explained Greg Kirk, deputy secretary of Capital Programs for the state's Department of General Services (DGS), the agency in charge of the building effort. "Through diligent planning and collaboration, we are transforming this site into a premier training environment that will benefit troopers and our Commonwealth for generations to come."
Multiple new buildings totaling 366,000 sq. ft. are proposed for the 146-acre site. Construction work is currently under way on several new buildings, including horse stables for the PSP Mounted Unit, the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations headquarters, the central supply warehouse and an outdoor tactical village for hosting simulations of high-risk incidents such as active shooters and hostage situations.
DGS awarded the $387.8M two-phase project to multiple contractors, including Lancaster, Pa.-based Wohlen Construction Co.; Midline Mechanical LLC in Ephrata, Pa.; JBM Mechanical Inc., located in Nazareth, Pa.; Glenmore, Pa.'s Phillips Brothers Electrical Contractors Inc.; US Solutions Inc., from Quakertown, Pa.; and Jay R Reynolds Inc., a plumbing contractor in Lancaster County, Pa.
The current PSP Academy has remained operational throughout the new construction, although several structures were razed as part of the site preparation.
If all goes well, the entire project is likely to be completed in 2028, according to PSP officials.
"Our current facility served us incredibly well but could not keep pace with the demands of a modern law enforcement training facility," Bivens noted. "Our new Academy ensures we're offering the absolute best environment for training new troopers, attracting the best recruits, and working in collaboration with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners."
The Commonwealth's state police recruits have trained in Hershey since 1924, when the Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol secured a property on Cocoa Avenue from chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey. When the highway patrol merged with the PSP in 1937, the training school remained on that site for another 23 years, until the opening of the East Hersheypark Drive campus in 1960.
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