Police, Fire Training Complex Coming To Newark’s South Ward

NEWARK, NJ — Newark is about to get a big boost to its police and fire department presence in its South Ward.

There are plans to construct a new “police/fire training complex” at the former William H. Brown Academy, city officials stated Friday. The building will be renovated into “a state-of-the-art campus-style facility, with computer labs, an auditorium, parking lots and classrooms.”

According to a city news release, the new training complex will “return public safety training to Newark which has lacked a public safety facility since 2010 and save taxpayers the expense of outsourcing training.”

The new training center will also “strengthen Newark’s position as a national leader in building police-community collaboration” by allowing trainees to interact with residents, city officials said.

Mayor Ras Baraka, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose, Police Chief Darnell Henry, Fire Chief Rufus Jackson and other officials will announce the construction of the new complex at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 30 at the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, located at 198 Chadwick Avenue.

The Newark South Ward SID applauded the news on social media.

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