ANKENY, Iowa—A groundbreaking ceremony was held on the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Ankeny Campus to build a new Criminal Justice Training Facility.  The 1,540 square foot building will be the first-of-its-kind in Iowa and will be used by DMACC Criminal Justice students, as well as statewide law enforcement agencies, to get hands-on, real-world experience.  The facility will offer participants interactive learning opportunities on investigative techniques, evidence collection, preservation and processing, and crime scene documentation.

The facility will be a collaborative effort among three DMACC programs:

·         Criminal Justice faculty, in conjunction with DMACC Architectural students, are designing training facility.

·         DMACC Building and Trades students will build it.

·         DMACC Horticulture students will landscape the area.

DMACC Foundation Board President Mike Grandgeorge (left to right), DMACC Vice President of Academic Affairs Scott Ocken, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory Administrator Bruce Reeves, Pleasant Hill Police Chief Al Pizzano and DMACC Criminal Justice Program Chair Jessica Cole use special shovels to turn the dirt at the future site of the DMACC Criminal Justice Training Facility.

(contributed article and photo, DMACC)