The Campbell Police Department will soon move out of its small, decades-old location into a new 21st century building.
The department on Thursday broke ground on its new 24,000-square-foot operation center, which is set to open in 2025. The building will be funded in part by Measure O, a $50 million general obligation bond passed by 69.5% of voters in 2018 to renovate police headquarters and the Campbell Public Library. The entire complex, which houses the town’s government offices, library and police department, dates back to the 1970s.
An estimated $31.8 million from the measure will fund the construction of the police department, including an upgraded emergency services center and better technology to operate the department’s first responder drone program that enables the police to access a situation before arriving on the scene.
Campbell Police Chief Gary Berg said the new building is a long time coming.
The city renovated the police department 20 years ago, but it was not retrofitted for earthquakes. During that renovation, the department installed two temporary trailers to increase space. The police department is still operating out of those trailers.