IHCC opens renovated training center
Jul. 12—OTTUMWA — The blood splatters, realistic though fake, on the evidence-room wall told the story. So did the big murals of former graduates hired by local law enforcement entities.
Yes, Indian Hills Community College is looking to play a much bigger role in law enforcement in the region.
The college cut the ribbon on the opening of the newly renovated Criminal Justice Training Center on the North Campus Monday, creating what it hopes will become a viable option for those looking to pursue that career path.
Most would-be law enforcement candidates have to go to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in Johnston, but college president Matt Thompson is hopeful they can stay closer to home.
"A lot of our communities are represented here with sheriffs, police chiefs, and so forth, and then you have prospective students here. It just makes you realize how worthwhile it was to take this project on," Thompson said. "It's a rewarding opportunity, and it's going to mean a lot to local law enforcement."
Wapello County Sheriff Don Phillips believes that not only will the training center save on expenses, but may also lure those going through the criminal justice program through the college to stay in the area.
"If candidates can go home each night, that saves a lot of money because they go to the academy in Des Moines and they're there all week," he said. "I also think there are going to be a lot of opportunities right here in the community because of this. It's a modern facility.
"This can bring people here from across the United States. Most people have to do their training in the Des Moines area, but this may give them a chance to go somewhere else."
The college put in an application to make the training center a Level 2 academy, which means that a degree in criminal justice from IHCC, or a four-year degree in criminal justice from anywhere else, would qualify that individual to complete academy work on the North Campus, with the same benefits as the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, Thompson said.
The application will be reviewed Aug. 3.
The training center was part of a massive bond referendum approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2021 to upgrade the college's facilities on all three of its campuses. It is the second of the projects to be completed, behind the virtual classrooms in high schools, which came online last fall.
The centerpiece of the renovated training center is a virtual reality training simulator with four large screens. There's also an evidence room that leaves nothing unturned, as it consists of fingerprinting, evidence photography, trace evidence testing, footprint testing and more. There are also four classrooms in the building, including one to process reports.
Throughout the building there are symbols of those who went through the program, featuring dispatchers, Iowa State Patrol officers and others, and windows to one of the classrooms feature badges of all law enforcement entities tied to the program, ranging from the Iowa Department of Corrections, to Iowa Department of Natural Resources officers.
"We've been working to establish the curriculum so that it mirrors the curriculum that happens in Des Moines," Thompson said. "And really, it's a matter of the law enforcement academy board realizing there's a need in rural Iowa to provide training.
"So Aug. 3 is a big step. It's a big date," he said. "And we're hoping folks buy into our application and realize that we're just here to serve our local law enforcement and to support their development."
— Chad Drury can be reached at cdrury@ottumwacourier.com, and on Twitter @ChadDrury
