BPD and MTC Law Enforcement Training Center opens for officers, recruits

Feb 26

February 26, 2025

The Bradenton Police Department is proud to announce the opening of a state-of-the-art Law Enforcement Training Center. Thanks to seamless collaboration between the department, Manatee Technical College, and the School District of Manatee County, the new facility ensures BPD can expand and upscale officer training programs to meet the needs of our growing department. MTC will also benefit from new tools to prepare law enforcement academy students for future careers. The Law Enforcement Training Center is poised to become a premiere regional training facility, serving law enforcement agencies with top-tier resources and programs.

In 2015, MTC lost its driving pad and firing range due to the closure of its former campus. Since then, Law Enforcement Academy recruits had to use a driving pad in Pinellas County and an indoor commercial range in Sarasota County.

Following her appointment as Bradenton Police Chief, Melanie Bevan, and MTC Law Enforcement Academy Director Jay Romine began conceptualizing a future training center.

MTC received a $2 million grant from the state for a new firing and driving range. The project was approved in 2021 by the School District of Manatee County. The project broke ground in mid-2023.

The training center, located on 70 acres of land in Myakka City owned by the City of Bradenton, includes: