OVPD's new headquarters is coming, but 911 dispatch isn't moving in just yet

For Oro Valley residents, a new police headquarters planned along North Oracle Road promises more room for the department that responds to emergencies, investigates crimes and works with agencies throughout Pima County. But the move will not immediately bring every police operation under one roof. The town’s 911 Communications Bureau is expected to remain at the existing headquarters on North La Cañada because a communications tower there is essential to receiving radio traffic from officers and sending instructions back into the field.

The Oro Valley Police Department has operated out of its 15,800 square foot building at 11000 North La Cañada since 1994. At the time, the department had substantially fewer employees. Today, OVPD has 141 full time employees, more than three times the size it was when the building opened. Deputy Chief Curtiss Hicks said the department has effectively filled every available space. Areas that once served as closets have been converted into offices, while a former conference room now accommodates four employees.

The planned replacement is a 50,500 square foot former medical office building at 13101 North Oracle Road. The Oro Valley Town Council committed $3.8 million last year to purchase the property, giving the department more than three times the space available at its current location. The town considered constructing an entirely new headquarters, but officials estimated that approach could cost between $30 million and $40 million and require the town to borrow money. Purchasing and renovating an existing building was viewed as a more practical alternative.

The final cost of the project remains uncertain. Public Works Director Paul Keesler said expenses could change as the design work advances, and town officials are waiting to learn whether federal grant funding will be available to reduce the local cost. The town has already allocated $1.645 million for stabilizing the building. Of that amount, $545,000 has been spent on roof repairs, exterior patching and painting, rekeying doors, fire system inspections and work involving the building’s 52 roof mounted heating and air conditioning units.

Another $2.2 million is included in the current capital budget. That money is intended to complete stabilization work, develop the building’s design and prepare construction documents. The project is not yet at the point where construction can begin. Hicks said the department is still working through its needs with approximately 20 units within OVPD, after which the town plans to bring in an architect. Based on the current schedule, he estimated that the department is roughly two to five years away from completing the move.

The 911 Communications Bureau creates a separate challenge. Dispatchers need a reliable hardline communications connection and specialized radio infrastructure to receive transmissions from officers in the field. They also need to send information from six dispatch consoles to police units throughout Pima County. That capability depends heavily on the tower located outside the current La Cañada headquarters.

The tower is important beyond Oro Valley’s own police operations. It carries equipment connected to the Pima County Wireless Integrated Network, known as PCWIN, a shared radio system used to link Oro Valley dispatchers with officers and other agencies across the county. Moving dispatch would therefore require more than relocating desks and computers. The town would need to provide the communications technology and infrastructure necessary to preserve those radio connections at the Oracle Road property.

Town officials have reserved space for dispatch inside the future headquarters in case funding and technical requirements eventually allow the bureau to join the rest of the department. For now, however, there is no immediate move planned. Keesler said dispatch would be better positioned alongside the rest of OVPD if the town could secure the necessary funding and resolve the logistical issues, but he described the existing tower as indispensable.

The delay does not mean residents will see a change in emergency response or access to police communications. Communications Manager Ben Johnson said the bureau’s responsibilities will remain the same wherever dispatchers work. The center will continue answering calls around the clock and sending officers to emergencies. While the new headquarters moves through stabilization, design and architectural planning, Oro Valley’s police department will continue operating from its crowded La Cañada facility, with dispatch staying there until the tower and its connected systems can be addressed.