Academics
Wake Tech Unveils Public Safety Campus
Training Facility Ranks Among Nation's Best
RALEIGH, N.C. (October 19, 2010) - One of the most advanced public safety training facilities in the country is right here in Raleigh - and now ready for students! Wake Technical Community College unveiled its Public Safety Education Campus today, recently renovated and more than triple its former size. The campus (previously the Public Safety Training Center) has just completed a $5 million overhaul that expanded its 18,500 square feet to more than 65,000 and added state-of-the-art training features. It will house Wake Tech's Basic Law Enforcement Training program, as well as degree programs in Criminal Justice, Latent Evidence and Fire Protection Technology. The campus will continue to be the site of in-service training for law enforcement personnel, corrections officers, fire and rescue personnel, emergency medical services and other first responders.
"We're excited about bringing these advancements to the critically important training of public safety personnel," says Dr. Stephen Scott, Wake Tech president. "Our new campus integrates training for these vital public service occupations - which directly affect every member of our community - and gives them the focus and expertise they merit."
Some of the unique features of the new campus include a criminal justice forensics lab that operates with the latest technologies, an incident command center, a defensive tactics room, a "simulation" room, a mock courtroom, and a mock jail with booking and interrogation rooms. The training facility is the only one of its kind in North Carolina that houses these training components under one roof. Other features include an exercise facility, labs for training Certified Nursing Assistants and 14 additional classrooms.
Wake Tech provided in-service training for more than 5,000 professionals in law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services last year. The new campus will allow students who aspire to work in the field of public safety to train alongside seasoned professionals.
"It's extremely valuable to have experienced public safety officers mentor those starting out," says Anthony Caison, Wake Tech Associate Vice President and Dean of the new campus. "Our setup provides opportunities for officers at every level to learn from each other."
Wake Tech's Public Safety Education Campus opened as a Training Center in January 2008 to serve the growing needs of area law enforcement and other public service agencies. It gained approval as a full "campus" in the summer of 2010 with the addition of academic programs, a library, an individualized learning center, and student services.
