Ribbon cutting for new law enforcement facility in Harrison County

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in partnership with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the Harrison County Board of Supervisors held a ribbon cutting for the new Harrison County Law Enforcement Training Academy Facility.

The new facility is a full-service center offering basic certifications and advanced courses in communication, corrections, and law enforcement.

The academy also has state-of-the-art classrooms, office space, barracks, and a driving track.

Law enforcement agencies across South Mississippi will use this facility to train new officers and deputies in all facets of policing.

The training academy is named after Sheriff Troy Peterson, who has been in law enforcement for 37 years and has worked hard to bring this academy to life, getting grants to build the training facility. Sheriff Peterson said, “It’s not about the name being on the building, it’s about the hard work that everybody put in to get this accomplished. This was a feat that numerous people put in their blood, sweat, and tears to get done. I thank them for it today, it’s an accomplishment for Harrison County. It’s going to provide better training for all our officers and all the surrounding counties around us to the bottom eight counties that we are in, in the state. So, it’s just a great accomplishment for the state of Mississippi today.”

The Harrison County Law Enforcement Training Academy is located at 13960 James Bond Road in Gulfport.