HOUSTON – Houston city leaders officially broke ground Thursday on a new home for the Houston Police Department’s South Central Patrol Station, a project officials say will provide more space for officers and improve service to several central Houston neighborhoods.
Mayor John Whitmire joined HPD Chief J. Noe Diaz Jr., members of City Council and police officers at the ceremony for the future station at 1450 South Lockwood Drive.
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The project will transform the former E.B. Cape Learning & Development Center into the new South Central Patrol Station. The division serves neighborhoods including EaDo, the Texas Medical Center, Third Ward and surrounding communities.
According to Diaz, the refurbished facility will expand from about 20,000 square feet to 28,000 square feet, allowing the department to accommodate more officers and provide additional resources for the community.
Whitmire said the new station is designed to be more accessible to residents while giving officers the space and tools they need to serve one of Houston’s busiest patrol areas.
“The facility is growing to become more accessible to the community,” Whitmire said, adding that it will also allow the department to welcome more officers into the division and provide additional resources.
The relocation is tied to the Texas Department of Transportation’s North Houston Highway Improvement Project, which has affected the current South Central Patrol Station, Diaz said.
Whitmire said the new station is only one part of the city’s broader effort to strengthen public safety.
“We won’t stop with the opening of this new site,” Whitmire said. “We need more cars, bulletproof vests, people with language skills.”
City officials did not announce a timeline Thursday for when construction is expected to be completed or when the new patrol station will open.