An open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday for a new police substation in Wichita.
The new Patrol East station opened in July at Lincoln and Pinecrest. It replaces the current facility at Kellogg and Edgemoor, which was built in 1988. The 24-thousand-square-foot facility will house 150 staff members and it will have space for operations, evidence storage and a public reception area. The city used over $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to build the new facility.
Police Chief Joe Sullivan said the new substation is an exciting milestone for the Police Department. He said it’s a testament to the strong investment that the city is making in the department and in public safety, and it will set the standard for all future police stations. He said the officers in Patrol East will now have the space they need to perform their duties effectively, with room to grow. Sullivan said the department is looking forward to breaking ground on the next new station, a new Patrol West, in 2025 at a site next to Northwest High School.
The new Patrol East substation is next door to the administrative offices for the Wichita school district, and Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said the district continues to look for ways to partner with the Police Department. He said the new Patrol West station will create a pipeline for students who are interested in getting into law enforcement and criminal justice.
