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Police relocation update: Kingston Road temporary substation to host Areas 2 and 4; council presses for Area 2 location in-district
Summary
City police and administration briefed the committee on temporary moves out of the main Texas Avenue station, saying Kingston Road will house Areas 2 and 4 while the city continues to search for an in-district temporary site for Area 2; council members raised concerns about distance and costs tied to temporary leases.
City officials told the Planning and Infrastructure GIS Committee that the police department is moving many personnel out of the aging main Texas Avenue station into temporary locations, with Kingston Road identified to house Area 2 and Area 4 staff until permanent substations are ready.
A city representative said occupancy at the temporary Kingston Road substation is expected in the next month after minor renovations and IT/firewall work, and the automated fingerprinting unit (APHIS equipment) is moving in the week of the meeting. The speaker said the Kingston Road lease runs about $9,100 per month on a three-year term.
Police staff and a separate officer who described operational plans said Kingston Road will accommodate commanders, lieutenants, sergeants, patrol corporals and roughly 45 to 50 officers plus supervisors from Areas 2 and 4. The facility was described as having sufficient parking and the capacity to operate as a hub for paperwork, safe exchanges and front-desk services monitored by camera and audio.
Council members, led by Councilman Brooks, urged administration to continue searching for a temporary location inside Area 2 so officers are not based far from the neighborhoods they patrol. Officials said they have been actively looking, noted obstacles such as ADA compliance and owner costs for rehab, and said finding a low-work, quickly usable space has been difficult. The city confirmed that if a suitable in-district location is found in the next 30–90 days it would be considered; otherwise Areas 2 and 4 will operate at Kingston Road until the new permanent facility is ready.
The administration estimated the total cost associated with temporary relocations this year — including rent, IT and other transition expenses — is “fairly close to a million dollars,” and a staff estimate indicated roughly $600,000 of that was accounted for in the police budget for rent this year. Staff said they will provide a precise, itemized number in response to a public-records request.
Committee members pressed for more information about search efforts and asked staff to provide project-by-project updates and cost detail; staff agreed to provide schedules and a public-records response on actual expenditures.
No formal action was taken by the committee on the relocation items during the meeting.
