When Kentucky State Police cadets report for training next month, it will be at a different facility in Frankfort. The new Kentucky State Police Academy is at the site of a minimum-security prison closed in 2011 after the prison population dropped.
The 220-acre site includes a 15,000-square-foot building with a 7,800-square-foot multipurpose room where cadets can train during bad weather.
Gov. Steve Beshear dedicated the new facility Monday and said it gives the agency a facility to match the troopers' level of professionalism.
State police said the training academy has been located on the top floor of the agency's headquarters in Frankfort but offered no room for growth and required cadets to travel off-site for some training.
Planned later are an indoor firing range and additional classroom complex.