Investing in public safety.

Dear Friends,

Last week was a very special one for Dallas — and for a project that I have been incredibly proud to be part of: we officially broke ground on the new Dallas Police Department Law Enforcement Training Center at UNT Dallas.

For me, this project has always been about much more than building a new police academy. It’s about investing in the men and women who protect our city, giving them the very best training and preparation we possibly can and creating something that can serve Dallas for generations.

What makes this center so extraordinary is the vision behind it. Dallas police recruits will train on a four-year university campus, combining advanced law enforcement training with higher education, professional development and a deeper understanding of the people and communities they will serve. We have an opportunity to create a new model for how officers are recruited, educated, trained and developed.

But what I found most meaningful at the groundbreaking was looking around and seeing how many people have come together to make this possible.

Dallas Comes Together to Invest in Public Safety and Our Future.

This truly has been a Dallas effort, bringing together the City of Dallas, Dallas Police Department, UNT Dallas, state leaders, foundations, businesses, philanthropists and civic leaders who believe that public safety is one of the most important investments we can make in our community.

Dallas has a remarkable ability to come together around big ideas. When people in this city decide that something matters, they step forward and find a way to make it happen. This project is a wonderful example of that spirit.

There still is much work ahead before the center opens, but seeing the first dirt turn made this vision suddenly feel very real.

I’m so proud of what Dallas is building, and I’m even more excited about what it will mean for the officers who serve our city and the families and communities they protect.

Onward,