Gov. Jay Inslee, left, checks out the logo for Clark County’s law enforcement training academy in east Vancouver while joined by Cmdr. Dave Miller of the Criminal Justice Training Commission at the center’s opening on Jan. 5, 2024. Local officials are now asking the state Legislature to dedicate millions of dollars to study the feasibility of building a permanent center at the Boschma Farms property in Ridgefield. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Local officials are eyeing land at Boschma Farms in Ridgefield to build the permanent home of Southwest Washington’s regional law enforcement training academy.
Horch said the school lacks the space for some training needs, such as a shooting range and a driving track. The recruits currently go off site, to local shooting ranges or tracks like the one at the Washington State Patrol academy in Shelton, for those classes. It’s been challenging for local officials to find anywhere in the county with the room for those facilities.
“It is suiting our needs right now,” Horch said of the former elementary school. “It’s not bad, but it’s not necessarily doing everything that we would envision for making it a full training site, where you can have other agencies from around the state come and train.”
McEnerny-Ogle said former Vancouver police Chief Jeff Mori took the Boschmas to the Public Safety Training Center in Washington County, Ore., to show them what’s envisioned for the region. Afterward, the family submitted a letter of interest pledging to hold about 20 acres of its property for a permanent training center to be built, the mayor said.
Now, McEnerny-Ogle said the city plans to ask the state Legislature to dedicate $3.5 million to study the feasibility of the property for the training center and come up with a design that suits the state’s needs. Then, in 2026, the mayor said the city would ask for $3 million to fund construction of a facility.
“We’re so appreciative of that opportunity,” McEnerny-Ogle said of the Boschma family’s interest. “Now, we just need the Legislature to understand how important a training center in Southwest Washington can be to add to the opportunity for recruiting officers and corrections officers and sheriffs deputies, etc.
“If we don’t jump in and treat it like the Winter Olympics and bring it to Southwest Washington, then it may not happen,” she said. “So that is why Vancouver jumped in with all of the support we could muster.”
Jim West, the real-estate broker representing the Boschmas, said they’re excited about the idea and waiting to hear the state’s interest in the land. He said the family’s vision for the land is to ensure developments support the community and honor their legacy there.
“That’s one of the things that attracts them about the idea of having a law enforcement training center is that we all know that the state’s growing, that they don’t have the capacity to provide enough training for all of the growing community, especially down here in Southwest Washington,” West said. “This would be something that would serve four or five counties, right here locally, in addition to the fact that it probably provides some economic benefit to the region.”
The mayor said she knows the Legislature has challenging decisions ahead as it faces a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall, but she hopes public safety is enough of a priority for the project’s funding to make the cut.
McEnerny-Ogle said the academy at the temporary location has already proved its value and demonstrated the need for more local training capacity. Horch said the sheriff’s office has had several recruits in each of the three training classes so far, and he knows other local agencies have also been able to get new hires trained faster than if they had to wait for spots at the state’s flagship campus in Burien. The academy also draws recruits from neighboring counties, like Cowlitz, Skamania and Klickitat.
“This is a forever business,” McEnerny-Ogle said. “We will always have officers that we are recruiting that need to go through the system. And how wonderful that they can get their training right here in Southwest Washington.”
The local academy has also created opportunities for a more diverse group looking to become law enforcement officers. McEnerny-Ogle said the first class at the Vancouver academy had five women enrolled, which she said made it the most diverse class in the state.
“Clark County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state of Washington, so we know that this need will not diminish,” McEnerny-Ogle said. “It is absolutely essential for our budgets, also, to hire people that we can have them stay in their own home, go home to their own dinner, in their own bed. That’s a tremendous asset for us.”
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