For nearly six decades, New York City police officers have trekked to a bog in a far-flung corner of the Bronx for essential weapons training and lifelike practice in situations that might require the use of deadly force.
And for nearly as long, a discussion has occurred about whether this site, on the Rodman’s Neck peninsula, is the best place for the Police Department to base its firing range and other critical training operations.
While that debate played out, the complex was largely neglected, not even connected to sewage lines and other utilities, the New York Times reports.
“It is an extremely out-of-date, dilapidated facility,” said Vincent Grippo, the deputy commissioner for management and budget for the Police Department. “Nothing’s been done for 40 or 50 years.”
On Tuesday, according to police officials, that will change as the city announces a $275 million investment in Rodman’s Neck, which, with the recent completion of a $1 billion police academy in Queens, would represent an ambitious effort to modernize and enhance the training accommodations for the city’s 35,000 police officers. The project is expected to be completed in two to five years.
