Swinerton Breaks Ground on $185 Million Dallas Police Training Campus

Highlights

• Swinerton has started construction on a $185 million Dallas Police Department Law Enforcement Training Center.
• The six-building campus is being developed at the University of North Texas at Dallas.
• Three buildings will incorporate mass timber through Swinerton's collaboration with Timberlab.
• The facility will support basic police training, continuing education, physical training and criminal justice programmes.
• Completion is expected in 2028.

A major public safety investment in North Texas is moving into construction, with a new training campus planned to consolidate law enforcement education and officer development in Dallas. Swinerton has broken ground on the approximately $185 million Dallas Police Department Law Enforcement Training Center at the University of North Texas at Dallas.

Six-Building Campus to Expand Police Training Facilities

The development will include facilities for the Dallas Police Basic Training Academy, In-Service Academy, Physical Training Pavilion and Criminal Justice Center, along with space for other training programmes. The campus is intended to create a shared environment for professional development, physical conditioning and officer wellness.

The project marks progress on a facility that the city had anticipated for more than 30 years. The six-building development is expected to be completed in 2028.

Early Sitework Advances Construction Schedule

Swinerton and project stakeholders adopted an early site package strategy to begin critical sitework and infrastructure activities ahead of the original construction schedule.

Starting these activities earlier established the groundwork for the broader campus construction programme and allowed the project to move forward ahead of the planned sequence.

Mass Timber Shapes Campus Construction

Mass timber will be incorporated into three of the six buildings. Swinerton is working with its affiliated mass timber specialist, Timberlab, to deliver the structural elements and integrate the material into the project.

The approach combines Swinerton's construction and project delivery capabilities with Timberlab's mass timber expertise. The use of mass timber is intended to support a high-performance, human-centred learning environment while introducing an alternative building system into a major public-sector development.

Public Safety Investment and Construction Implications

The project represents a significant investment in Dallas' law enforcement training infrastructure. For public-sector owners and contractors, the development also demonstrates how early site packages and specialised building systems can be incorporated into a large institutional construction programme. Its planned 2028 completion will bring together multiple training functions within a purpose-built campus.

Source: Swinerton.