DELANO, Calif. (KERO) — After years of planning, McFarland will finally get a new police department and community center. At a special city council meeting Wednesday evening, the city council voted to award a $9.5 million contract for the construction of a new police department building.
For the past 67 years, the police department has been housed in small, cramped quarters. What used to be an 800-square-foot office is being reimagined as a state-of-the-art facility of more than 11,000 square feet.
"In here is our small supervisor's office. It's currently being used by one of our detectives, so I'll close the door there. He's doing something confidential," said Adrian Olmos, acting chief of police at the McFarland Police Department.
The cramped conditions have forced creative solutions for workspace allocation.
"We have one supervisor here who has to work in here because the detective is currently using his office," Olmos said.
The new facility will address longstanding space issues that have impacted operations and staffing.
"Have spaces for our victims of crime that we haven't had before. Holding cells or interviews or interview rooms, private rooms for victims of crime that we don't currently have right now," Olmos said.
McFarland Mayor Saul Ayon says the lack of space turned into a lack of retention or recruitment for new officers.
Last year, the city secured a $5 million state public safety grant and used it to fund the design of a new police department. The rest of the funding will come from the city.
The city overcame some challenges along the way through community partnerships.
"Due to the trust of our community members, and then some of our partners with sell the land that didn't cost any taxpayers any money that had all the infrastructure in place," Ayon said.
The building will be located on the corner of Mast and Taylor Avenue. The city bought the land, around 7 acres, for $1 from the GEO Group.
Construction is expected to be completed in 14 months, around February 2027. The city will break ground on December 16.
"Ready to operate for our dispatch, our police officers, and the community," Olmos said.
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