[Solano County] Police Training facility receives high marks from grand jury

A recent Solano County Super Court grand jury report gave high marks to the city of Fairfield’s firing range and law enforcement training center and encouraged officials to continue to market its use to outside agencies.

In November, grand jurors toured the Art Koch Range and Training Center, named for fallen Sgt. Art Koch, the only officer in Fairfield’s history to have died in the line of duty. Grand jury members also interviewed staff there and took part in some of the methods used in training police officers.

According to their recent report, the center is purported to be state of the art in technology and simulators, allowing officers to master proper police techniques in as near to real life situations as possible. The grand jury found the center to be well maintained and functionally designed to allow for training in both armed and unarmed procedures.

“The center is so well designed and equipped that law enforcement personnel from several city, state and federal agencies use it to enhance their performance,” the grand jury wrote in their report.

Completed in 2008 at a cost of $12 million, the 39,000 square foot facility utilizes some of the most advanced technology of any police training facility in the nation.

According to the report, the city charges a fee for agencies other than the Fairfield police to use the facility as a means to defray costs of operations and maintenance.

Some of the accommodations at the facility include: six 100 yard firing ranges; a 3,200 square foot room for weaponless defense training or a classroom that seats 72 students; a simulator training room with three driving simulators and one force-options simulator.

In addition, the center is certified as a training facility and recognized by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.).

According to the grand jury report, the center is fast approaching a cost-neutral situation, where fees will help offset the costs of future additions and refinements.

There are plans to enlarge a surrounding patrol car training area, the report noted.

Grand jurors encouraged officials to increase their marketing efforts of the center and continue with their current standards of training.

 “The decision by the city of Fairfield to build a police training facility has proven to be a prudent use of public funds,” the grand jury report noted.

February 3, 2015

The Reporter

By Ryan Chalk, The Reporter, Vacaville