Inside “Hershyville”: How IMPD is Transforming Police Training Through Real-World Experience
What if police training didn’t rely on imagination but instead felt like stepping into real life?
That’s exactly what’s happening at IMPD’s training facility, better known as Hersheyville. What started as one officer’s vision has become a fully immersive training village designed to better prepare recruits for the realities they’ll face on the job and ultimately serve the community more effectively.
From Idea to Impact
The concept behind Hershyville began with Officer Kevin Hershberger, a longtime IMPD officer and Field Training Officer who saw firsthand the gaps in traditional training.
Early in his career, Hershberger recognized that many training environments lacked realism. Recruits were often asked to “pretend” a classroom was a home or a hallway was a business. That approach did not fully prepare them for what they would encounter on the street.
Drawing on his experience, creativity, and passion for training, Hershberger began rethinking what effective, reality-based training could look like.
By 2023, that vision became reality.
Today, Hershyville includes 25 structures designed to mirror real environments officers encounter every day, from homes and apartments to businesses like convenience stores, bars, and even a café. Each space is intentionally designed to feel authentic down to the smallest details.
Training That Feels Real Because It Is
At Hershyville, training is built around real scenarios officers are actually responding to in the field.
Recruits do not just learn policies. They practice applying them in environments that reflect real neighborhoods, real calls, and real challenges. From domestic situations and mental health crises to thefts and everyday interactions, the goal is to prepare officers for what they will face on day one.
The training follows a crawl, walk, run approach that gradually builds skills over time so recruits gain confidence and competence before entering the field.
Even small details matter. In one scenario, recruits respond inside a functioning café setting with people moving around and conversations happening. This reflects the reality that situations do not occur in controlled environments.
Better Training. Better Outcomes.
The impact of Hershyville is already clear.
In recent years, IMPD has seen a significant improvement in how prepared recruits are when they enter field training. Officers are demonstrating stronger decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills, all critical to effective policing.
There has also been a noticeable decrease in the number of recruits who struggle to adapt once they are in the field.
This allows field training officers to spend less time reteaching basic skills and more time focusing on real-world application, leading to more confident and capable officers.
Looking Ahead
While Hershyville is already making a significant impact, the work is not finished.
Future plans include enhancing landscaping, improving infrastructure, and adding technology such as cameras for training playback and evaluation. This will allow recruits to learn by reviewing their own performance.
As the village continues to evolve, so does its potential to shape the future of policing in Central Indiana.
A Vision That’s Making a Difference
Hershyville is more than a training space. It is the result of one officer’s vision to do things differently.
Through the leadership and innovation of Kevin Hershberger, combined with community support and investment, IMPD has created a training environment that better prepares officers for the realities of the job.
When training improves, outcomes improve for officers, for families, and for the entire community.