Academy History
History
Initially in 1975, classes were held in the Prince George Rescue Squad building, and then were moved to the Petersburg National Guard Armory.
In 1978, the Academy secured a semi-permanent home on the campus of Richard Bland College in Prince George County. The location in Commerce Hall, initially provided the necessary classroom and office space, but as the Academy continued to expand, it was necessary to rent conference rooms at local hotels to facilitate the larger class sizes and the increased training programs offered.
In 1993, Richard Bland College received funds to renovate Commerce Hall, and the Academy was relocated to another smaller building on the campus. The Academy was restricted to only three classrooms, and we had insufficient office and storage space. Restrictions placed on the Academy by the college required that much of our performance-based training be conducted off-site. The design of the building with two floors and no elevators, presented accessibility problems for those needing reasonable accommodations to the two classrooms on the upper floor. Even with the limited classroom space, the Academy continued to provide quality, cost-effective training to our member agencies by utilizing borrowed classrooms and facilities. Additional training space was secured throughout the region by utilizing the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge Hall, Fort Lee Range Control, National Guard Armories, Department of Motor Vehicles branch offices, and even local karate studios.
In the summer of 2000, the administration of Richard Bland College advised the Academy of their plans to renovate the building housing the Academy. Once again, the Academy Board of Directors was challenged to find a new location that would provide the necessary classrooms and office space for a growing academy.
In August of 2001 the Academy relocated to its next location. The Academy secured a lease with the Prince George County School Board to utilize a portion of the second floor of the Prince George Education Center (Old Moore Middle School) in Prince George County .
From its inception in 1975 to 2005 the Crater Criminal Justice Training Academy has utilized borrowed or leased facilities as office and classroom space.
In the Fall of 2005 the Academy moved into its new home in their 30th year of operation. This new facility is 13,500 square feet with new state of the art classrooms, and administrative space, and will provide a home for the Academy for the foreseeable future.
