‘Cop City’ is Coming to UNT Dallas Campus, the May 4 Election Will Determine if You’re Paying For It

By Sam Judy City bond meetings have been widely criticized as chaotic and mismanaged. The most controversial proposition of the bond vote, Proposition F, suggests using $50 million in public city funds to construct the new police training compound on University of North Texas at Dallas campus. Amidst rising social unrest, human rights advocates are concerned that a ‘Cop City’ in Dallas could bring on a new age of political repression through over-policing. Plans for ‘Cop Cities,’ or multi-facility police training compounds, have started popping up across the United States in the last year. As public contention over Atlanta’s Cop City drew attention in 2023, with the project approved for construction by the City of Atlanta despite a 124 – 4 tally against the initiative, 13 states currently have similar facilities under construction.& First reported simply as a police academy, Dallas’ Cop City is currently being planned for construction on UNT’s Dallas campus in 2025 with a target completion date of 2027. The lease on UNTD grounds would cost the city $1 per year under a 40-year contract. The training compound would span 5 acres along I-35 and I-20 with an additional 20 acres secured for a simulated urban environment...