The Kansas City Police Department will give the public a rare look behind the scenes when it re-dedicates the new headquarter building Thursday night. The building, located near 11th and Locust in downtown Kansas City has been under construction the past two years.
Renovations cost $40 million. The original police headquarters is 76 years old and was built in 1938.
This is the seventh major building/renovation project for the Kansas City Police Department over the past 12 years. A quarter cent public safety sales tax passed by voters in 2002 and renewed in 2010 has paid for the upgrades, which the department sorely needed.
From the outside, you’ll notice a new tower and spacious community room added on to the old building, but most of the money was spent renovating the inside.
In fact, cost overruns raised the cost of the project from $28 million to $40 million total. But nearly every single floor was redone, and officers will now enjoy more office space. There is now a wheelchair accessible entrance, and there is also better wiring and plumbing.
The Police Department is giving a behind-the-scenes tour starting at 4 p.m., and there will be a re-dedication ceremony at 5. The public is invited.
