Work is expected to begin either later this year or in early 2026 on a long-planned project in El Paso that will see the building of a facility with the comprehensive mission of providing both police and firefighting training.
What is officially being called the Public Safety Complex will go up on the northeast side of the city off Global Reach Drive, not far from the El Paso International Airport.
The $163 million project, which will be funded out of a $413 million public safety bond approved by El Paso voters in November of 2019, was originally slated to be built on Martin Luther King Boulevard.
But in a budget-cutting move, members of the El Paso City Council last month determined that the Global Reach Drive location could save the city upwards of $22 million in construction costs due to utility access and terrain issues with the original site.
City officials have said that the Global Reach Drive site will also provide more space for possible future facility expansion.
As planned, the complex will combine in one spot the Police and Fire Training Academy, headquarters for the Fire and Police Departments, and the Fire Department’s Vehicle Maintenance and Logistics Center.
Other features expected to be part of the complex campus include an indoor shooting range, fitness gym, classrooms, auditorium, and mock courtroom.
June 20, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Rendering courtesy of City of El Paso
