McPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson Police Department formally opened their new downtown substation at 218 East Kansas Tuesday morning with a McPherson Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.
Police Chief Mikel Golden said the new substation is, “a testament to the support we have received from our community and our dedication to serve and collaboration that took so many people to make it happen.”
The new substation will house the patrol and investigation divisions of the department, which are being relocated from the Law Enforcement Center it has shared with the McPherson County Sheriff’s Office since 1993. While it was adequate at the time, growth in both agencies over the years along with that of Emergency Communications also housed there has created many space issues.
It will also house a small-scale real-time crime center. With cameras placed around the community feeding into there. This will allow officers to have a live feed of activity taking place in McPherson.
The new substation is housed in the building that previously was home to what is now the Kansas Department for Children and Families and was in very poor shape when it was purchased by the city. Mayor Brown said they had made an earlier attempt to purchase it, but was outbid by another party. The city purchased the property two years later, and at a lower price than it had initially bid.
KC Construction served as general contractor on the project, with Tony Loomis handling concrete work on the south side of the building, with furnishings purchased through Michael Yates from Mattress Haven, and Reach Solutions handling the IT and camera work inside and out.
Golden and Mayor Tom Brown, who also spoke during the dedication, added they still have a long-range goal of constructing a new headquarters building near the new Fire Station 2 on North Main.
