This month, we will celebrate the groundbreaking of the Southeast Police Annex, an important milestone for Ward 4 and for Southeast Tucson as a whole. This new, voter-approved facility represents a long-term investment in public safety and a clear example of what it looks like when a community chooses to invest in itself and plan for the future.
The Southeast Police Annex is funded through Proposition 101, the Tucson Delivers Safer City Better Streets bond package approved by voters in 2017. That decision allowed the City to make strategic investments in infrastructure that keep pace with growth, particularly in areas like Southeast Tucson that continue to expand rapidly. This project is a reminder that thoughtful, voter-supported investments often pay dividends for years to come.
Operations Division East is the largest police division in the City of Tucson. I am often told that it can take an officer at least 45 minutes, even with lights and sirens, to travel from one end of the division to the other. That reality affects response times and places additional strain on officers serving a very large geographic area. This new police annex will allow officers to be positioned closer to the communities they serve, improving response times not only for Ward 4, but also for Wards 2, 5, and 6.
This project was designed with future growth in mind. The land where the annex is being built was originally set aside as part of the University of Arizona Tech Park development for public safety infrastructure. The building itself was intentionally designed so that it can be converted into a fire station in the future, once the City has the funding to build a full Southeast Police Substation and establish a new Southeast police operations division. This approach ensures we are using taxpayer dollars responsibly while planning ahead.
Community input played an important role in shaping this facility. My Ward 4 team worked closely with the Tucson Police Department and the design team to include a large conference room that can be used not only by the department, but also by neighborhood associations and community groups. This is especially important in an area where meeting spaces are limited. We also prioritized spaces where officers can decompress after difficult calls, as well as private areas to support officers who are new mothers. The goal was to build a facility that supports both the officers who serve here and the community they protect.
Projects like this require extensive coordination behind the scenes. Because of the annex’s proximity to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the City worked closely with base leadership to address security considerations. We also partnered with private developers to complete nearby traffic improvements that will benefit both the annex and the surrounding community.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is on February 20 at 9:30 a.m. at 7655 South Kolb Road, and I hope community members will join us to celebrate this important investment.
Most importantly, I want to thank the voters of Tucson. The Southeast Police Annex exists because we chose to invest in ourselves. It is a strong example of how smart, forward-looking investments in ourselves help ensure our neighborhoods remain safe, supported, and prepared for continued growth.
-Nikki
City of Tucson Ward 4 Councilwoman
Nikki Lee
520-791-3199
Ward4@tucsonaz.gov
www.tucsonaz.gov/ward4
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