By Brittany Anderson
The Kyle Police Department (KPD) will soon have a brand new Public Safety Center to better serve the city’s explosive growth.
The city held a groundbreaking on Friday on the corner of Kohlers Crossing and Marketplace Avenue, the site of the future center. The upcoming two-story, 64,000-square-foot center was part of a $37 million bond package passed during the November 2020 election, and is slated to open in fall 2022.
The center will allow KPD to grow over the next 20 years and beyond by expanding its services with space to improve emergency center response times, creating an investigations suite and canine unit, increase officer training, expand community-based programs and mental health services, and more.
“We seem to be doing a lot of [groundbreakings] lately,” Mayor Pro Tem Rick Koch said during the groundbreaking. “Hays County is predicted to be the fastest growing county in Texas for the next 30 years — faster than we want to admit sometimes. In the face of unprecedented growth, Kyle can either lead, follow or get run over by the future. In this moment, Kyle is choosing to lead. Kyle is leading by feverishly learning how to build the best police department in all of Central Texas.”
Other speakers during the groundbreaking included council members Dex Ellison and Robert Rizo. Both reiterated that for many years, the facilities in which KPD have operated out of have been less than ideal as the department grows.
“The center will provide better accessibility for the general public, increased response times by being centrally located — no more trains, I promise — and having a modern design with upgraded amenities,” Rizo said. “It will also help improve the mental and physical health of our police officers.”
KPD chief Jeff Barnett expressed his gratitude for the community and everyone involved with the building of the center, a process which has taken years to come to fruition.
“This day symbolizes the trust and faith you have in the men and women at the KPD to serve you and our great community,” Barnett said. “We are extremely humbled by your support and belief in our services.”
Photos by Brittany Anderson.
