On Target: Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy Launches Indoor Firearms Facility

The Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy (RRCJA) will soon open a new indoor firearms training facility on Lee Hill Drive, a significant addition to its training capabilities. The 9,000-square-foot space in a renovated warehouse next door to the academy includes 14 shooting lanes, a classroom, a cleaning and storage area, and full indoor pistol training capabilities.

“It’ll give us the ability to send all recruits for firearms training more than just one week,” said Academy Director Michael Harvey. “Refreshers and support training will be easier to arrange.”

Harvey has worked in criminal justice for nearly three decades, beginning as a military police officer after enlisting in the Army in 1993. He attended the police academy in 1997 and later served with the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office. In 2013, he was appointed as the third director of the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy, where he has spent years advancing officer training, instruction, and community engagement.

The academy has previously relied on borrowed ranges, including one in Stafford used by the Department of Corrections. That option ended due to nearby residential development, and classes had to travel farther. “Officers from Fauquier were having to go out to the Northern Neck or Spotsy. It’s not sustainable,” Harvey said.

The indoor range includes darkness training capabilities, allowing for more realistic and flexible scheduling. “They’ll have a lot more time to work with their firearms and become more competent and confident. We all want officers who are confident — the more confident they are, the less likely they are to use it,” Harvey said.

“Nationwide, 90% [of officers] never discharge their firearm in the line of duty,” he added. “That 10% tends to be in higher-risk units or areas.” The goal of the training, he explained, is not just accuracy — it’s judgment, confidence, and preparedness.

The academy also emphasizes driving as a critical officer skill. “Blue lights aren’t a license to go as fast as you can,” he said. “Line of duty deaths for officers — more car crash deaths than firearms.” The facility includes a safety track for officers to practice driving maneuvers.

The new site sits on just over two acres and caps classes at 35. “They’ll have everything they need to train an officer right there,” Harvey said. “Huge benefit.”

RRCJA is part of Virginia’s system of 11 regional criminal justice academies, established initially with federal support in 1966 to help small and midsize agencies provide standardized training. “Small and midsize police agencies can’t afford that on their own,” Harvey said.

The regional academy system now trains more than 18,000 officers across Virginia but has seen significant funding challenges. RRCJA serves 42 criminal justice agencies and more than 2,300 professionals across Central and Eastern Virginia. State studies have repeatedly found regional academies fiscally vulnerable. Since 2000, RRCJA has seen a 53% reduction in state funding.

While a $2 fee on traffic convictions helps support the system, Harvey said revenue dropped from $1.2–$1.5 million pre-pandemic to just $300,000 during the pandemic. “It’s impossible to keep up with everything that we need to keep up with,” he said. “It hasn’t caught up to inflation, and we can’t afford the new technologies that could help officers — like AI communication devices.”

He said more state support is critical. “The biggest thing is the facilities. The buildings are OK, but the newest one is 20 years old. They’re aging. We have to keep moving forward — even the air conditioning units.”

In 2023, both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly approved budget amendments to increase academy funding, but the increase was removed from the final budget. In 2024, the Department of Criminal Justice Services included more funding in its request to the Governor, but the proposal did not make it into the budget. Currently, Virginia invests an average of $125 per officer annually in training.

Harvey also leads the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Foundation, a nonprofit he helped establish in 2016 to support the academy’s needs. The foundation has hosted community events, blood drives, and public forums on criminal justice reform. Current donors include local sheriff’s offices, individuals, and businesses.

“The academy is the heart of every Virginia police officer’s training — a five to six-month program — and it’s not fully funded by the state,” Harvey said.

The indoor firearms facility’s ribbon cutting is planned for August 13, but the first class may begin using the new space before the official opening. The academy runs new classes quarterly and uses a statewide online system, Tracer, to enroll recruits and track their progress through certification.