Henrico breaks ground on police station in Highland Springs

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) - Henrico County leaders and police officials broke ground Tuesday on a brand new, state-of-the-art police station. The new “South Station” is located in Highland Springs.

“It really gives us a face to our East End of the county,” Henrico Police Chief Eric English said. “I think people can drive by here and they can really see a facility they can call their police station.”

Henrico Police Department plans to do away with the Fair Oaks station since the officers are currently operating out of a smaller, leased space.

“We needed more space,” Chief English said. “All areas of our county need attention, there’s no question we started to see a little more of the violent crime here in the eastern part of the county.”

Chief English says that with an increased presence in Highland Springs, he hopes to mitigate crime.

“This right here gives us an opportunity as we move forward to really make some concentrated efforts on tackling some of our problematic communities that are experiencing some of our violent crime,” English said.

The new spot on 640 North Airport Drive will not only be home to a 19,000-square-foot state-of-the-art police station but also an emergency communications center that would serve as a backup 911 call center.

In addition, they are building a K-9 training facility with a fenced, outdoor training area on the property.

“We were lease-based and weren’t able to do the things that we’re trying to do,” Henrico County Supervisor Tyrone Nelson said.

Not only are these new resources expected to improve safety, Chief English says this also helps with recruitment and retention.

“There’s no question that we’re down in personnel,” he said. “We need more officers.”

The project, in total, has a price tag of $15.2 million.

“We want to make sure that residents are safe ... so we spend money when it comes to public safety,” Nelson said.

The station is set to open in 2025.

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