The City of Lubbock held the first of a series of open houses Monday night to discuss their Public Safety Improvement Project.
The project could make major changes to the way the Lubbock Police Department operates.
“Lubbock is made up of many communities, not just one,” Police Chief Greg Stevens said, “From newly annexed areas, to areas that have been apart of the city from the very beginning.”
A geographic approach was what Steven said would make a decentralized force a success.
“For us, it creates efficiency. I think it’s going to be a real game-changer in terms of how we manage our resources and have our lines of communication and internal control.”
Stevens, along with other city officials, answered questions, addressed concerns, and shared pictures of the current downtown headquarters.
Assistant Police Chief Jon Caspell said the most important part of community policing is the word itself: community.
“…Making sure we have a facility that’s open and welcome to the public, where people can walk into a safe environment and talk face to face with an officer. Where anyone can in the community can come in and have a meeting…” Caspell said.
A Dallas-based firm created the proposal exlusively for the Hub City. They plan to work with local vendors and construction companies.
“We think the numbers they’ve given us, the requirements of what would have to be in these facilities, seems true to form,” Caspell said, “They’re doing a good job creating what would work for Lubbock.”
