PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — Prince William County has been approved to purchase Elite Shooting Sports in Manassas as a new training facility for law enforcement, officials said Tuesday.
The indoor facility, which is located on Doane Drive, was developed in 2014, and would expand space up to 65,000 square feet. The location would also allow up to 42 lanes for training at distances between 25 and 100 yards. There will also be space for parking and classroom space for the over 700 officers.
The cost to purchase the shooting sports center is estimated at around $22 million, which is cheaper than the cost of over $28 million to build a new facility.
“This facility offers our officers the training needed in today’s environment without undue cost and delays experienced with a complete new build,” said Peter Newsham, Chief of the Prince William County Police Department. “Adequately training officers has never been more important than it is now. This facility is a win-win for the police department and the community we serve.”
This agreement was made available after the owner of the facility decided to retire and signed the contract with the County for purchase. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved the contract.
The police department’s current Pennington Range, which sits on the grounds of the Public Safety Training Center in Nokesville, was developed in 1995. At the time, the agency's authorized strength was just over 300 officers.
The previous range, which is 20,000 square feet, was in need of an expansion, according to officials. It only has one training bay and 12 lanes for training within 50 yards. The range is said to be inefficient in providing officers with what is needed to help with modern policing.
"The facility also only has space for one classroom, and limited space for offices, storage, weapons maintenance, and parking," the news release said.
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