The Slatington Police Department is hoping a new training center will help improve officer training while reducing costs and travel time.

In July, Slatington Borough Council approved a six-month lease for the department to establish a training center at 7933 Route 873, according to Police Chief William Borst. The building is the former site of Caring DAM Hearts’ clothing closet.

The rental cost is $1,200 per month.

The center is equipped with 25 modular American Range Walls that can be configured for a variety of training scenarios.

“We can customize them to whatever training we might need,” Borst said.

The system allows officers to create hallways, active-shooter scenarios and rescue situations, as well as adjust room sizes to meet different training objectives.

The facility also includes padded mats that support Taser certification training, defensive tactics instruction, CPR and first aid exercises.

Borst said all training is conducted in-house, giving the department greater flexibility to meet mandatory training requirements while providing opportunities for additional instruction throughout the year.

The center has already been put to use. Borst said the department administered a civil service test there on July 10. Officers Kevin Torres and Mike Concilio also completed instructor-level training in defensive tactics and Taser use, allowing them to train other members of the department.

“In the past we had to go outside of town for training,” Borst said. “This is so convenient for all of us. It saves time and money.”

Funding for the project came from renovation funds that remained after improvements were made to the department’s squad room. Borst noted that many of those renovation dollars had been donated by area residents and businesses.

Rather than hiring outside contractors, Borst said members of the police department handled much of the work needed to prepare the facility.

“The work that was done for this training center, myself and all of our officers worked to get it into shape for our training,” he said.

Looking ahead, the department hopes to expand the center’s use beyond police training. Borst said officials are considering community-based programs, including self-defense classes for children and women.

“We have a lot of ideas with this space,” he said.

Borst said he hopes borough officials recognize the value of maintaining a local training facility and will continue to support the program after the initial lease period.

“We hope borough council can see the benefit of having a training center in our town and continue funding our center,” he said.