Chapel Hill Police Department relocates following year long search

The Chapel Hill Police Department is planning to relocate its headquarters, following a year-long search for a new building. 

The department is currently located at 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd but will move into a leased space in the North Chapel Business Center, according to a press release from the developer of the new property. 

The projected move-in date is mid-2025, the press release said.

Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew said their current location has a lot of problems, such as ceiling leaks and HVAC issues. 

“It's in need of a new roof," Lehew said.  "The HVAC systems don't really keep up with what we have taking place, and it's just really in some disrepair at this point. So obviously, it's not always a good feeling to come into a building after a big rainstorm and have water on your desks.”

Lehew said she feels the new location will not only provide personnel with superior work conditions, but will also increase the department’s capacity for community service and outreach. The police department has added additional personnel to the crisis response unit over the past few years, including a crisis diversion counselor and a care team that responds to calls without a police response, Lehew said. 

According to the Town of Chapel Hill’s website, the crisis unit exists to address the array of problems that police officers respond to. These problems may include domestic violence and mental health emergencies. 

However, issues with the current property run deeper than its infrastructure. 

The Town bought the property in 1980, but didn't discover until 2013 that original owners of the property used debris containing coal combustion products to cover the site. 

Earlier this month, the Department of Environmental Quality held a meeting to discuss a draft agreement between the developer and the Town, which would cap coal ash at the site by draining the area's surface water and using material to hold the ash in place. The Town has not yet selected a remedy for the issue. 

Alex Carrasquillo, media relations manager for the Town of Chapel Hill, said the Brownfields Agreement is separate from the relocation. 

“North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is working on finalizing the Brownfields Agreement with the town, so that happens at Town Hall, and then the next steps will go from there," Carrasquillo said.  "So that's kind of a separate thing."

Despite challenges surrounding the move, Lehew said the department is optimistic. 

“I think everybody is very excited about it,” Lehew said. 

Keith Wallace, regional vice president for Merritt Properties, which is the company leasing the property to the department, said that office buildings aren’t conducive for modern police departments. 

“It's nice to be able to have a building that's ground level, one-story building that allows you to have garage doors on the back and their ample office in the front and plenty of parking,” Wallace said. “I think Chief Lehew really liked the fact that the building could accommodate the parking needs of the police force.” 

Wallace said the company is thrilled and honored to host the police department. 

“We are really looking forward to the collaboration of the outfit that is taking place," Lehew said. "I can't express enough what great partners they've been in this." 

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