New Officer Training Center Opens in Former Correctional Facility

By Fay Harvey  

CAMERON, Mo. — Over the course of eight years, Missouri’s statewide prison population dropped 30%. In 2019, Cameron, Mo., two correctional facilities, Crossroads Correctional Center (CRCC) and Western Missouri Correctional Center (WMCC), consolidated into one space. However, by 2022, the shrinking population allowed administrators to move residents into CRCC, leaving the neighboring WMCC vacant. This increased space at WMCC gave administrators the opportunity to consider a unique and creative approach to repurposing the empty building.  

The WMCC structure now serves as the Academy for Excellence in Corrections (AEC), a preparatory learning center that is unlike any other in the nation. The AEC gives Missouri Department of Corrections staff a space to collaborate, learn and practice for their careers in an authentic correctional. The transformation aims to increase staff retention and job satisfaction, according to a statement from the MDOC.  

“Learning how to do a cell search for contraband, and being in an actual cell, made it feel real,” said Jaecey Hill, a trainee in the first wave of AEC’s cohort, in an MDOC statement. “And not having a resident looking over your shoulder while you’re doing it and getting used to the process is less nerve-wracking.” 

Hill, a corrections officer at Maryville Treatment Center, pursued the program to do something meaningful for the community. Since joining the program in a post-pandemic job market, Hill said in a statement that the training has increased her confidence and enhanced her communication skills.  

The facility, which celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 18, includes a standard lobby with an open reception area and receptionist. The administrative areas have been renovated for a modern look, and classrooms have room for more than 30 students. What was once a barbershop is now an AEC Micro-mart, and native trees and plants around the building were planted in collaboration with the Department of Conservation and the Youth Alliance of St. Joseph.  

Prison cells were transformed into housing units that resemble those of college dormitories for trainees to stay overnight. Each living quarter features Smart TVs, WiFi and XL twin beds on top of vinyl hardwood floors. Additionally, each space has three shower stalls and private dressing quarters.  

“You can have any type of a training facility, but until you actually experience it, it’s not the same,” said Mike Stong, Division of Human Services director, in a statement. “At the academy, you actually get to run a control center, perform searches and do fence checks in a real environment. That was our thinking: What can we do to set up our staff to be more successful moving forward?” 

“I was here from 2001–07 as a functional unit manager, and it’s almost unrecognizable,” said Chelsea Spackler, AEC training administrator, in a statement. “It’s absolutely beautiful.” 

In January 2024, the first non-residential cohort participated in new officer training. Since then, additional regionally based classes have been rolled out gradually and are expected to conclude by January 2025. Overnight stays for trainees are set to begin later this month.