Ohio Approves $400,000 for Akron Public-Safety Training Facility

Ohio lawmakers finalized the state’s $3.7 billion capital budget on June 10, approving $400,000 for improvements to Akron’s Dan Street Public Safety Training Facility.

The facility houses the Akron Police Department’s training bureau and is also used by law-enforcement agencies from across Northeast Ohio for required training. The state funding will support improvements to the existing facility, which serves as a regional public-safety training site.

Regional training site

The Dan Street facility is part of Akron’s public-safety infrastructure, supporting training for city officers as well as personnel from other agencies in the region. The investment comes as Akron identifies public-safety training, police technology and facility improvements among its capital priorities.

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik thanked area legislators for supporting the investment. The broader state capital budget includes nearly $7.8 million for projects across Summit County.

The $400,000 allocation is part of the capital budget finalized through Senate Bill 450. It is state capital funding rather than a statement that the money has already been spent.

What happens next

The Downtown Akron Partnership announcement did not specify a construction schedule or identify the individual improvements that will be paid for with the allocation. It also did not describe whether Akron must provide matching funds.

The immediate local effect is a state-backed investment in a facility used to train Akron officers and public-safety personnel from across Northeast Ohio. Further project details will determine how the funding changes the building and its training operations.