MEDINA, Ohio — Medina County will soon launch a new full-time police academy through a partnership with the Medina County Career Center Adult Education and the Medina County Sheriff's Office.
The Medina County Law Enforcement Training Academy will take place at the former Medina County University Center, which was owned by the University of Akron at 6300 Technology Lane in Lafayette Township.
In February, Medina County Commissioners approved a memorandum of intent to buy the property for $2.85 million.
The Medina County Career Center has a 30-year lease on the facility, according to Superintendent Steve Chrisman.
It will be known as the South Campus to complement the center's other location, which has programming for both high school students and adults, at 1101 W. Liberty Street in Medina.
The Career Center has had a part-time police academy for several years. Chrisman said the full-time academy is one of several exciting new ventures on the way.
"This is going to allow us to do a full-time academy during the day. We're also going to be able to do medical assisting during the day and some other programming. We're currently working towards creating a nursing program, too. That's about a year out," Chrisman said.
The first full-time police academy is expected to start in early August if at least 10 recruits are signed up. The academy has about half of that enrollment so far.
Captain Kris Conwill from the Medina County Sheriff's Office said the full-time academy will better serve agencies that have hired people by getting them into the work cycle faster.
Conwill believes the proximity to home could also encourage people to pursue a career in law enforcement.
"There's options in other counties—options at the state level— to go to a police academy. Many times you have to have the person travel. Their days are prolonged by virtue of the travel time," Conwill said. "Let them be hired local, stay local and train local was something that we sought to do."
The training schedule for the new academy will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with some weekends. The training will last 4 1/2 months.
The cost of the academy is $7,000, but free tuition is available for Medina County graduates between the ages of 20 and 24.
Lt. Scott Schmoll, who will serve as the commander of the Medina County Law Enforcement Training Academy, said recruits will be trained in many areas, including enforcing traffic laws, how to investigate domestic violence and sex crimes, and de-escalation techniques.
"It's a very good learning environment. You don't have to worry about something that's going to break down. You've got a lot of room here to do different things that law enforcement officers are going to need to do," Schmoll said. "We can run around the parking lot when we do our PT. We've got a room padded with mats for our defensive tactics."
Candidates interested in enrolling in the first full-time police academy should call 330-725-8461 ext. 155 or visit here to enroll before the July 10 deadline.
The part-time police academy will also operate out of the South Campus location. That academy takes nine months to complete.
