AWC groundbreaking ceremony for new law enforcement training academy

Abraham Retana shares how this will benefit more than a dozen first responder agencies from Yuma and other areas of Arizona

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Arizona Western College (AWC) breaks ground for a new law enforcement training academy.

Local cadets won’t have to leave Yuma to receive their law enforcement training.

For more than two years, local and AWC officials were working together to bring the project to reality.

The cost of the new building is over $10 million.

"The collaboration between Yuma County and Arizona Western College and it will serve as a training facility for law enforcement officer really for across the region," said David Corr, AWC President.

"And it makes it so much easier for the troops to go home every weekend be with their families and every night versus being away from home for long period of time and the family have to try to take care of everything while they are gone," stated Leon Wilmot, Yuma County Sheriff.

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot shared a couple more reasons why this new academy is much-needed.

"For one, it was hard to get seats in other academies throughout the state and two, you don’t want to get the metropolitan type of training when it’s more tailored to rural," explained Wilmot.

The new facility is expected to be completed within 12 months and the first class is scheduled to start in Fall 2024.