Des Moines Area Community College has begun construction on a new Criminal Justice Training Facility at its Ankeny campus. The 1,540-square-foot building will be the first of its kind in Iowa and will be used by DMACC criminal justice students, as well as statewide law enforcement agencies, to get hands-on, real-world experience. The facility will offer participants interactive learning opportunities on investigative techniques, evidence collection, preservation and processing and crime scene documentation. Officials broke ground this morning for the facility. It’s a collaborative effort among the Criminal Justice program and DMACC architectural students, who designed the facility, DMACC building and trades students, who will construct it, and DMACC horticulture students, who will landscape the area.