A federal-state partnership has resulted in the completion of a state-of-the-art firearms training facility at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy (MLEOTA) in Pearl. The $1.5 million upgrade enhances the firing range to one of the best in the southeast.

“We’re pleased to be able to share this enhanced resource with our partners at MLEOTA and the dedicated law enforcement officers throughout the State,” said Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Mississippi. “As evidenced by this new facility, one of the FBI’s highest priorities is to support, promote, and enhance law enforcement training and education in furtherance of the mission of our state and local partners.”

Planning and construction of the range’s new baffle system took about a year-and-a-half to complete.

“When the academy opened in 1967, the area was rural,” Assistant Public Safety Commissioner Colonel Donnell Berry said. “However, as the surrounding cities have grown, residential development has gotten increasingly closer, which presented a challenge trying to balance our training regimen and quality of life in nearby homes.”

In addition to the firing range, the FBI’s firearms training facility has a classroom for up to 30 students and is lighted for nighttime training.

MLEOTA is located on 243 acres in Rankin County. Its mission is to enhance public safety in Mississippi by providing professional law enforcement training to city, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.