At a council session in September, Council Member Solomon said that the town needs a new police facility. He guesstimated a cost of $30 million. We had not heard of this. So we asked Oro Valley Police Chief Kara Riley.
A new facility is on the horizon.
During the town council’s February Strategic Planning Session, Chief Riley discussed a new facility in relation to the changing landscape of public safety: Aligning staff to deal more with mental health calls and bolstering the town’s criminal investigations unit to name two. “In doing this, we began to realize our space needs.”
The conversation needs to start regarding a new police facility
According to Chief Riley, having a new facility within five to six years is a clear need. Getting there is a “heavy lift” as Chief Riley noted in our conversation last week.
Today there is 42,500 square feet spread over four facilities
Oro Valley is far bigger than the town it was in 1994, when the town built the current 15,000 square foot police headquarters on La Canada. Since that time the town has added two substations. One is the 3,500 square foot leased facility (“Tangerine SubStation”) located in the Oro Valley Market Place that opened in 2010. The other is the 22,000 square foot “Daniel G Sharp Substation and Evidence Facility” [“Magee”] opened in 2019.
Prior to 1994, town opened a sub station in Rancho Vistoso. That substation was agreed upon as a condition of the annexation of Rancho Vistoso in 1987.
Today, then, there are four facilities used by the department, comprising 42,500 square feet.
The town has grown considerably over the years.
The footprint of the town was 24 square miles in 1994 . Half of that was Rancho Vistoso. Today, the footprint of the town is 36 square miles. The population of the town was 9,000. Now Oro Valley has 47,000 people. The town’s population continues to grow daily as construction fills existing areas. Add to this the town’s annexation plans. Annexations will further expand Oro Valley’s geography and population.
The number of people working for the department has more than doubled since 1994. “We had 53 people when we moved in in 1994. Now I currently manage 135. Our substations are filling up.”
And it is a very different community
In 1994, people from Tucson referred to Oro Valley as "way out in Oro Valley." The town was more rural than suburban. The were no traffic lights on Oracle Road. In fact, there was not Rooney Ranch shopping center. No gas stations. Oracle was two lanes each way and then one lane past Tangerine. The Oro Valley Marketplace was farmland. Policing in 1994 was far different than policing today.
Need to look at the next twenty plus years
According to Chief Riley, “We’re at capacity” with the facilities in place today. Thus, it's time to look at future needs. She believes that a new facility must be able to accommodate growth the twenty years. Police facilities are vey unique. “You also have to keep in mind that we have the public answering service for 911. You not only have holding cells and training needs but you also have the 911 center and records so its big, large and intricate.” In addition, there are training facilities and wellness areas.” And K-9 areas!
“When you think you have built it big enough it almost has to be bigger because you just don’t know what the future will hold with regards to any growth.”
At the moment There are no plans for a future station.
It is time to start the conversation.
