Dallas City Council will consider $20 million in construction funding and $15 million in state grants for a new police training center Wednesday, October 28, as the Dallas Police Department remains below the 4,000-officer level voters established through Proposition U.
The council agenda includes four measures involving the Dallas Police Department Law Enforcement Training Center at the University of North Texas at Dallas, 1200 E. Camp Wisdom Road. One measure would appropriate $20 million toward construction, including $2.5 million from 2024 general obligation bonds and $17.5 million from the training center fund.
Two other measures would authorize the city to accept $10 million and $5 million in grants from the Texas Office of the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division for construction and implementation of the facility.
Council members will also consider a sponsorship measure allowing the city to receive up to $17.5 million in QuikTrip Corporation and W.W. Caruth Foundation funds through the Communities Foundation of Texas. The construction item identifies the same $17.5 million as a funding source, so the two actions do not represent separate $17.5 million commitments.
The proposed construction contract action would increase currently authorized spending under the Swinerton Builders contract from approximately $29 million to $49 million. The city identifies a larger guaranteed maximum price of approximately $158.6 million, but the immediate appropriation in Wednesday’s action totals $20 million.
How Proposition U Fits In
Dallas voters approved Proposition U in November 2024. The charter provision requires the city to direct at least 50% of qualifying excess revenue toward the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System.
Remaining money from that allocation must support specified public safety goals, including placing police starting compensation among the top five qualifying area departments and increasing Dallas’ sworn force to at least 4,000 officers. It does not specifically require a training center or set a deadline for achieving 4,000 officers.
DPD told The Dallas Express in September that it had 3,410 sworn officers, leaving a 590-officer gap at that time. Police officials briefed the Public Safety Committee on year-end hiring October 13, but this article does not establish a verified October 27 headcount.
The city’s fiscal year 2027 budget projects approximately 3,651 sworn officers by next September, which would still leave 349 positions below the minimum, as The Dallas Express previously documented.
Separate Bond Proposal Faces Voters
Dallas voters will decide Proposition A on November 3. The city outlines a separate $443 million bond proposal for public safety facilities, including $82 million for the law enforcement training center. Proposition A is distinct from the Proposition U amendment voters approved in 2024.
Mayor Eric Johnson supports Proposition A. Council Member Cara Mendelsohn opposes the bond measure as structured, citing concerns over debt and how city leaders could redirect funds. Both explained their positions in separate interviews on Let’s Talk Local, as The Dallas Express previously documented.
The council’s October 28 decisions concern the financing and construction of police training facilities, not a direct allocation to hire officers under Proposition U. Approval of the measures would not, by itself, demonstrate compliance with the staffing requirement.
The City Council meeting begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Council Chambers at Dallas City Hall. Officials have not yet voted on the four agenda items.
