WIU Police Training Facility To Replace Shuttered Program at U of I

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board plans to open a new residential Police Academy and Research Institute at Western Illinois University.

The board said Friday that its members voted to set up the new institute to replace the program at the University of Illinois. The University of Illinois decided last year to close its Police Training Institute.

The board says the new facility will train new police officers and sheriff's deputies. It will also conduct research into police training.

Western Illinois is already home to the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, and offers a degree in criminal justice.

The board oversees 12 police and corrections academies around the state.