Construction begins soon on a permanent home for the Northern Indiana Law Enforcement Academy adjacent to the MAAC public safety training campus.
Ground was ceremonially broken Thursday for the project.
The 23,000-square-foot building is expected to open in time for classes to begin in January 2026.
Of the $7.5 million cost, $5 million is from the state budget and $2.5 million from the Dean and Barbara White Foundation. The McMillan Family Foundation provided the land for it.
Griffith Police Chief Greg Mance said the police academy supports 64 agencies across 12 counties.
“I witnessed the impact of this academy,” he said, as an undergrad at Indiana University Northwest, where the academy was once based.
It opened in 1999 at Valparaiso University, moved to IUN in 2000 and has been in Hobart since 2010.
Executive Director Jim Markle said he hopes to double the number of candidates trained annually, to two classes of 100 recruits for the 16-week sessions of basic training.
“It’s been a dream for a long time,” Markle said, but work toward achieving it intensified in the last two years with campaigning for state funding, looking for a location and other planning.
“You’ll see dirt being pushed in about 10 days,” said Shive Hattery project manager Chad Harper.
Construction will begin after city approval of the drainage plans.
Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas praised the project.
“We are just thrilled to have NILEA here in the city of Valparaiso,” he said.
Costas lauded Stuart McMillan, the driving force behind creating the MAAC campus.
“You can’t overestimate his impact on the community,” Costas said.
McMillan said the MAAC (Multi-Agency Academic Cooperative) derives its name from his father, who was known as Mac.
“Today would be a very proud moment for him,” McMillan said. “His vision back then, that I didn’t believe, has resulted in this vision today.”
It was 56 years ago that Mac told his family that he wanted to create a business producing 50 fire nozzles a month. By the time Stuart McMillan retired as CEO, Task Force Tips was making 50 nozzles an hour.
“This is incredible that this is happening out here,” he said of the academy. “It’s going to be magnificent and awesome.”
Porter County Sheriff Jeff Balon said he has seen the pride and morale boost that a new facility gives to police officers. “It really makes them feel valued when a community invests back in them,” Balon said.
“It’s going to give our officers the skills to handle the tools of tomorrow they need,” he said, along with the core values and traditions set by previous generations of law enforcement professionals.
Beth White, a trustee of the Dean and Barbara White Foundation, noted the standalone academy has been sought for many years. “I really love it when things happen that many people thought would never happen,” she said.
“You are building a culture that will better service your citizens for years to come.”
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
