The overview
The space will total more than 45,000 square feet and all told will cost around $24 million to build out, Police Chief Keith Traylor said. While the project broke ground last year in the spring, Traylor said the effort dates back nearly five years.
“It’s been a while,” Traylor said. “One of the good things about the city is we have a very active council.”
Traylor said the building was designed using, in part, the city’s estimated population growth over the next 25 years. Officials expect it to be home to the police department for 50 years and give the city enough room to house 180 personnel.
Currently, the police department has 51 staff members, including patrol, investigators, dispatch and administration, Traylor said.
Mayor Dan Davis called the new police station a “major investment” in the city’s future.
“This new facility will allow us to modernize operations, expand capabilities and ultimately enhance the level of service our residents receive,” he said.
The details
To make the current 1,000-square-foot structure work, Traylor said the department has had to move around people—which has included putting some into a pair of construction trailers.
“We have no space,” Traylor said. “We have almost half the city’s workforce. ... It’s kind of crowded.”
The building, Traylor said, will offer a number of enhancements not available at the smaller facility. During the planning phase, Traylor said council members expressed that they wanted the new station to be “the premier building of the city.”
Chief among those changes is a larger holding cell. Currently, the department has to transfer those arrested on felonies or misdemeanors to the Brazoria County Jail in Angleton, which can take an officer off duty for sometimes more than an hour.
The challenge is similar when the department has to run a DWI charge, which requires going to Pearland to run a breath alcohol test, Traylor said. This can take from four to six hours.
The police station will have upgrades to take care of this work on-site, which Traylor said “will be huge” for the department.
“We’re trying to limit the time the officers are working on these events and get back on the streets,” he said.
Other additions, according to city documents, will include:
- A safe room at the police department’s entrance for someone needing to escape harm
- A modernized training area that is accessible to the public
- Updated locker rooms
- A modernized dispatch center with modern consoles and radio systems
- A workout center for officers both on and off duty
- Upgraded property and evidence room and a drive-in garage for processing vehicles
- Interview rooms and conference rooms
- A large lounge area to cook and store food supplies
- Updated records room
The new station was part of a package of projects worth $35 million in total that included a new public works building and a city hall expansion, all of which had funding approved in 2023, Davis said.
The current police building will also be revamped and house the city’s code enforcement and fire marshal, Traylor said. This is due to the remodeling of City Hall that is set to start in the coming months.
Traylor also highlighted the new animal control shelter that will be part of the new station. Currently, the city has four kennels available to it. The new facility will have space to store animal vaccinations, wash animals off and hold up to 12 animals.
Stay tuned
The building was expected to be completed in early August, but Traylor said work is slightly ahead of schedule. Officials expect to move into the facility in late July.
