Cape Coral’s 911 public safety communications department was the first to make the move to the police’s new $21.6 million building Thursday as workers transported furniture and equipment and responders took emergency calls.
The new building, located across the street from City Hall on the corner of Nicholas Parkway and Cultural Park Boulevard, has about 100,000 square feet, a far cry from the 38,400 square feet police operations currently use.
Assistant Chief Jay Murphy said the transition for emergency operations was seamless as calls continued to be taken at the old building during the move.
“They had the most critical need for additional space,” he said, adding that the public safety communications department was cramped into a space one-quarter of the size of the new building.
Workers were busy installing a data center adjacent to the emergency operations, which stands on about five miles of wire, Murphy said.
The public safety communications department completed its move, but Murphy cautioned citizens to continue using the current operations center, located at 815 Nicholas Parkway, to pick up reports or if they need to speak to an officer.
The patrol and records departments will likely be next to move into the new building, with those moves coming in the next two weeks. Other departments will follow in the coming weeks.
“It’s going to be another month before we pretty much have everybody over here,” Murphy said.
The building itself is not quite finished as workers are still putting the finishing touches on the structure.
Cape police officers are eager to make the switch.
“Yeah, they’re all anxious to move in,” Murphy said.