Attorney General Austin Knudsen testified today before the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Long-Range Planning, advocating for funding to construct an indoor firing range at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA) in Helena. The project, if approved by the Montana Legislature, would address longstanding training challenges faced by law enforcement cadets.
Currently, MLEA rents space at an outdoor range in Helena, which has led to rising costs, scheduling difficulties, and harsh winter training conditions. Knudsen emphasized the critical need for proper firearms training in safe and controlled environments, rather than in subzero temperatures where cadets struggle to focus on the fundamentals of firearm safety.
“The single biggest responsibility we ask of our law enforcement officers is to carry a firearm, and our biggest responsibility to them is ensuring they are properly trained,” Knudsen said. “We’re long overdue for a firing range at the Academy, and I am making it one of my priorities to secure the funding this session.”
MLEA’s Law Enforcement Officer Basic Course (LEOB), a 12-week program offered three times a year, includes at least a week of firearms training. However, due to outdoor range limitations, staff have sometimes been forced to cut training short. The Academy also provides Correction/Detention Officer and Public Safety Communicators courses, along with advanced training for law enforcement across the state.
The proposed indoor facility would complement recent training enhancements at MLEA, including the Bryan E. Lockerby Scenario Training Facility, which opened last year to improve hands-on, real-world law enforcement training.
By: DNU staff