REDMOND, OR -- Next week, Redmond unveils the design for its new Public Safety Facility. The project is funded by a $40 million bond approved by voters in 2022. Police Chief Devin Lewis says the new lobby will offer separate entrances for people accessing different services, to provide privacy, which is lacking at the current building. "Unfortunately, we have had people in there that are victims of crime trying to report a crime; and at the same time, we’ve had somebody who’s there trying to do their annual registration as a sex offender," Lewis tells KBND News, "Both of those people deserve auditory and visual privacy."
There’s also more parking for employees. Lewis says they frequently have to park blocks away from the current downtown Redmond police station, "We’re going to have plenty of parking for the public, as well. Tied into that, there’s also going to be a safe exchange area. It’ll be two parking spots under a 24/7 video surveillance, well lit, right in the front of the police department." Similar to what’s available at Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office locations, Lewis says it’s a safe place for custody exchanges or to pickup an item bought online.
It’ll also have an emergency operations center. Chief Lewis says, "Currently, we don't have one of those at the police department. We don’t have an area to do a large training event, or anything like that. So we’re going to have this emergency operations center right off the lobby. It’s also going to double as our training facility. But one of the other cool options, how it’s being designed, it’s also going to be open to the public as a community room."
On Monday, the city hosts an open house with the architecture and interiors teams. Lewis says the department relied on public input and feedback in the early stages, "We’ve taken that and have been working on the design for the last year-plus. And so this is that opportunity to give [the public] that update, show them what we’ve done at this point, incorporated some of their feedback and suggestions, and then give them an opportunity to see the latest renderings and then ask any questions they may have." Monday’s open house is from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Redmond City Hall. 
Construction will begin soon at the site on NW Canal, "We’re going to start doing some pre-work out at the site, hopefully here in February. And then, probably a more ceremonial groundbreaking in April or May; and then we’re looking at hopefully around 13 months construction time." The Public Safety Facility is expected to open by the summer of 2025.
