Engelstad Foundation Announces $8 Million Commitment to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation for Reality Based Training Center
The Engelstad Foundation has committed $8 million to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Foundation. The generous donation, recently announced during the Foundation’s annual Wonder Women of Metro luncheon, will support the construction of phase one of the new Reality Based Training Center in Southern Nevada.
“We see this gift as an investment in our community’s vitality and also know that many communities throughout the country will benefit from the training and services provided at this facility,” said Kris Engelstad McGarry, trustee for the Engelstad Foundation. “Our law enforcement and emergency professionals are on the frontlines each and every day. Anything we can do to help protect them and ultimately save lives, we are all for and encourage other individuals and organizations to consider donating as well.”
Reality based training is widely recognized as the most effective and modern method of law enforcement and incident response training where officers and emergency responders are placed in strategically developed scenarios that simulate a variety of realistic situations. This type of training provides the conditioning, decision-making skills and stress inoculation that save lives when officers and first responders have to respond to actual situations.
Phase one of the Reality Based Training Center will consist of two adjacent buildings; the first will contain 50,000+ square feet of the most modern, dedicated training resources found in the country including mat rooms, classrooms, simulators, offices and other space for the LVMPD management of the facility.
The second building will measure over 110,000 square feet and house an indoor, climate and environmentally controlled tactical training village including casino simulations and other environments to train realistically for a variety of events ranging from personal and citizen defense to high profile scenarios and, in particular, active shooter situations.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Engelstad Foundation for their very generous support of the Reality Based Training Center,” said Tom Kovach, executive director of the LVMPD Foundation. “Through this investment, the Engelstad Foundation has created a cornerstone for the development of this critically important law enforcement and emergency response project.”
The LVMPD Foundation is taking the lead in securing $25 million in funding for the first phase of this effort, calling on community supporters to join the movement to elevate the safety of our officers and first responders, and ultimately, our community. When completed, the facility will provide essential, life-saving training to local, state, and national law enforcement officers and first responders.
To stay up-to-date with the Foundation’s events and programs, visit lvmpdfoundation.org