Pembroke Pines is getting a new police headquarters — one with high-tech security and surveillance features but that would also be community-friendly.

It would have meeting rooms for the public, including a training room for the citizen’s police academy, and offer easy access to the records department. With the evolution of forensic science, there would also be space for criminal laboratories, a “real-time crime command center” and a spacious and secure property and evidence room, said Police Chief Dan Giustino.

“The building we have now is old and crowded and doesn’t have the technological features, such as cameras and security measures, that are now available,” Giustino said. He added that some units have to share space with others and there isn’t adequate parking.

The new structure will be built near the existing one, which is at 9500 Pines Blvd. The city hasn’t yet decided whether to demolish the current 31,000 square-foot, four floor headquarters or use it for other purposes related to police work, said assistant city manager Aner Gonzalez.

The preliminary cost estimate for the new headquarters is $18-to-$21 million and the project would likely take about two years to complete, Gonzalez said.

“We haven’t figured yet how much square footage it will be, but if you consider that the current building was built for a department of about 100, this one would be considerably larger,” Gonzalez said.

The department now has 316 employees. The city’s population in 1991, the year the current headquarters was built, was approximately 65,000. There are now approximately 166,000 residents, according to the latest U.S. Census estimates.

“The old police department is just that [old]. With all of the new technology needed today, it is time to do it,” said Mayor Frank Ortis.

The new headquarters would join a growing list of new municipal buildings that have sprouted up in the city.

The final touches are being done on a $58 million civic center, which will include a 3,500-seat auditorium and a museum. The center is the cornerstone of a plan to create a vibrant downtown area where people live, shop, eat and watch a movie.

The city has also built an 11,000 square-foot, two story contemporary arts center and a new commission chambers next to the the civic center. The entire project is expected to be completed by early April.

, 954-356-4188

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