Department expands number of substations

In an effort to keep an eye on crime and reach out to the community, the Chapel Hill Police Department is opening a fourth substation today at University Square.

The opening of the University Square substation, at 133 W. Franklin St., comes two weeks after the opening of a substation in Southern Village.

Mayor Kevin Foy officially will open the new space at 11:30 a.m.

Police spokeswoman Jane Cousins said it wasn't an increase in crime but a concern about crime that motivated the opening of the new substations.

Cousins also said they no longer can fit any more officers at their primary location at 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The department had a smaller substation in the Bank of America building for several years, but she said the new location gives them more space and accessibility.

"The substations are good for several reasons," she said. "They get us out there, make us more accessible and provide us with the extra space that we need."

Cousins said that because the department has had a presence at University Mall, at 201 S. Estes Drive, for the past 13 years, the idea of substations is nothing new to them.

The substation that opened in Southern Village two weeks ago was a six-month process. Cousins said it took a while because there were construction needs.

The University Square substation has taken only a few months. Grubb & Ellis/Thomas Linderman Graham Inc., which donated the space, took care of the few necessary renovations.

"We've had a long-standing relationship with the town of Chapel Hill and the police department and we knew they had a need for a new location," said Walter Holt, director of property services and property manager of University Square.

"We had the means and the opportunity to provide them with more space," he said.

The new substation will be located in what was once a photo shop. It will in the part of the building that faces Granville Towers.

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.