Sault Ste. Marie Police Service says Division 2 will soon be operational as it works towards its goal of strengthening both police presence and community safety in the city's downtown core. The new downtown police station, located at 180 Brock Street, was unveiled Tuesday as members of the police service and the public looked on.
Patrol services will work out of Division 2 initially, with traffic services, bicycle patrol, and officers working Dynamic Patrol expected to work out of the new location in the future. Sault Police Chief Hugh Stevenson anticipates the new downtown police station — a $3.6-million commitment spread out over four years — could be fully functional by the end of the summer or sometime this fall.
“I think it’s very important,” Stevenson said of the need for increased police presence downtown. “I’ve been in this industry 37 years, and as we become modernized, that was supposed to make us more efficient — and it has. But the good old fashioned knowing who you’re dealing with, knowing that person that runs that store, becomes absolutely crucial to our community policing efforts and our partnerships in ensuring safety in the downtown core.
” Approximately 8,000 square feet of space will be available for use by the police service, which is leasing the former social services building from The Rector and Wardens of St. Luke’s Cathedral Sault Ste. Marie and The Incorporated Synod of The Diocese of Algoma for $80,000 per year on a 10-year leas.