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Photo by Jon Anderson
Officials take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo courtesy of city of Hoover
Donald Witham, the U.S. Secret Service special agent in charge for the National Computer Forensics Instiute in Hoover, Alabama, (at left), poses for a photo with U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, and Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato at a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Officials take part in a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Shovels sit ready for a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, speaks at a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Officials take part in a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd gathers for a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato speaks at a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Officials take part in a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Lyle Harmon, president of the Alabama District Attorney Association, speaks at a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Employees of the National Computer Forensics Institute take part in a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Shelby County Commision Chairman Jon Parker speaks at a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Employees of the National Computer Forensics Institute take part in a groundbreaking for an expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
Hoover officials on Friday joined Shelby County, Alabama and federal officials to break ground for a major $22 million expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center on Valleydale Road.
The institute, operated by the U.S. Secret Service in partnership with the Alabama Office of Prosecution Services, currently takes up about 40,000 square feet at the Hoover Public Safety Center. Construction now is beginning for a nearly 37,000-square-foot addition on the east side of the center and renovation of some of the space in the existing facility.
The new area will include three 35-person classrooms, a 250-seat instructional auditorium, 20 administrative office spaces, and dining and gathering spaces, allowing the institute to increase the number of students taught there from 3,500 a year to more than 8,000 students annually, officials said.
M.J. Harris Construction is the general contractor, and construction is expected to be completed by the summer of 2027. The city of Hoover received a $21.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to pay for the project.
The National Computer Forensics Institute is a federally funded training center dedicated to training, educating and equipping state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges on cyber and electronic crimes and related threats.
Donald Witham, the Secret Service special agent in charge of the institute, said this expansion is about more than square footage.
“It’s about readiness, reliability and results,” Witham said. “This expansion will help keep pace with changing technology and tactics so our students leave here prepared for what they face next, not for what they saw last year.”
It’s about reliability because the justice system depends on evidence that stands up to scrutiny, chain of custody steps that are followed and facts that are gathered lawfully, he said. And the result is safer neighborhoods because every seat added to the classrooms in Hoover translates into more investigators learning new skills, more prosecutors refining their courtroom strategies and more judges strengthening their expertise in evidentiary standards and judicial procedures related to technology, Witham said.
The instructors at the NCFI, who are the backbone of the facility, translate complex technology into practical tools to help gather evidence, solve crimes and prosecute criminals, he said. The instructors take complex challenges and turn them into repeatable best practices that agencies across the country can use, he said.
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, said more than 32,000 people from all over the country have been trained at this facility in Hoover since it began in 2008, and this expansion will greatly multiply that.
“This is an enormous accomplishment for the state of Alabama,” Palmer said. “This is a great success story.”
Other Congressmen from around the country who visit the NCFI leave saying they want a similar facility in their state, Palmer said. He has to stress to them that this is “the” National Computer Forensic Institute, not one of many, he said.
Lyle Harmon, president of the Alabama District Attorneys Association, said the lessons learned in Hoover continue to spread true justice across the country.
“This expansion represents more than just bricks and mortar,” Harmon said. “It represents progress. It represents partnership. It represents a promise to our citizens. It stands as a symbol of what we can achieve together when we unite on a common mission that matters.”
Witham thanked each of the partners involved in making the facility a reality, from the city of Hoover to Shelby County, the Alabama Office of Prosecution Services, Alabama District Attorneys Association and elected officials at all levels of government.
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said the great thing about the NCFI is that any law enforcement agency can be a part of it. At the classrooms in Hoover, there may be a small-town police officer from Idaho sitting next to a police officer from New York City or some other large agency.
The facility also has a significant impact on the local economy, Brocato said. In 2024, students at the institute spent $2.2 million eating in restaurants in the area, $3 million on hotels and $1.3 million on airfare, Brocato said.
Witham said the graduates leave as force multipliers as they share what they have learned with others so that justice is better served across the country.
“Cases are built by solid digital evidence, and that inspires greater public confidence,” Witham said. “We will safeguard the public trust. We’ll keep our curriculum current and practical. We’ll hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity and service. We will continue to strengthen the bridge between technology and justice so that our communities are protected and our courts are well served.”
