CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi Police Department plans to build a new Calallen substation.
Located in West Guth Park, officials said it will be a full-service substation with 27 officers, vehicles and more. The new substation will be about 4,000 square feet or more.
The location was picked for the ease of public access and for officers to effectively cover the area. CCPD said there has not been an uptick of crime in Calallen, and they hope the new substation will help reduce it further.
"Our hope is that we're going to get out there, we're going to be more viable, we're going to be open to the community to come in and the crime will actually drop," CCPD Assistant Chief David Blackmon said.
Blackmon said there is currently a substation nearby, but it is older and not as publicly accessible. That is one of the reasons why they plan to add a new one in West Guth Park. He explained when Calallen residents could see it built.
"We're probably several years down the road into the next bond project to get this substation built. Currently, we're, we're focusing on the, the Southside one," Blackmon said.
The Calallen substation will supplement the Southside and Flour Bluff locations. The Flour Bluff substation is currently engaging with the community, and he said that can happen in Calallen, too. He said that is important for youth development and can increase the bond between the community and police.
"Children tell me, hey, I want to be a police officer when I grow up and it's, it's one of my favorite things to things to hear is," Blackmon said. "So now, bring them into the substation, let them sit around. We all do tours as a substation."
Blackmon said the Calallen substation can promote public safety since officers are visible in the park. There are also long-term crime deterrents like the Neighbors on Watch program people can come and sign up for at the new location.
"We're here to assist and to truly be able to, to accomplish that task you, you have to be available to your community which you serve," Blackmon said.
Blackmon added that West Guth Park's high elevation will allow police to stage vehicles there in case of flooding or a hurricane.
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