BCSO cadets train in ex-courthouse

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department found a new home for its training academy in the middle of downtown Albuquerque—the former Bernalillo County Courthouse.

The new building adds some extreme and very realistic experiences to train the largest cadet class for the Bernalillo County Sheriff Office.

Current BCSO cadets are trying to become deputies, but their training is unique compared to the previous 27 classes.

This class is the first cadet class to hold their academy inside the old Bernalillo County Courthouse.

"It's a little older, but it's not too bad, we can deal with it," Cadet George Mullen said.

The department used to hold their academy at Kirtland Air Force Base, but that contract recently expired.

Deputies had nowhere to train until someone realized that they had the empty courthouse.

Judges, juries, lawyers and defendants no longer walk the halls of the courthouse, but some of the courtrooms remain intact.

The county said it's using the building for the most realistic training they can provide.

"Now we can train them in actually in more real word type scenarios, lots of blind corners, other things the cadets will encounter once they get out onto the street so it makes it more realistic using the building," BCSO Lt. Scott Baird said.

Some rooms have been retrofitted to meet the needs of the academy.

The largest BCSO cadet class stared with 34 hopefuls and they're already down to 30. After 29 grueling weeks, more may drop out.

The old courthouse is only a temporary location for the academy. The county has just approved funding for the design for a new building.