Chilliwack – Media and dignitaries including Mayor Ken Popove and Chilliwack Council finally got to see what 8 years of planning and $4M can buy you.
RCMP and the City of Chilliwack celebrated the opening of the new Chilliwack RCMP Community Police Office Investigative Services Building. Officers marched to the new site at 8311 Kiernan Drive from the main detachment to mark the occasion.
The 26,754 square foot facility, which once served as the City of Chilliwack’s Operations Centre, has been substantially upgraded to better accommodate several departments within the Chilliwack RCMP, including the General Investigative Support Team (GIST), Serious Crime Unit and Digital Field Technicians, the Crime Reduction Unit along with administrative spaces for civilian and police use.
This will also have the state of the art crime fighting and computer security technology, second to none in BC.
Due to the nature of the work occurring in the new facility, it will not be open to the public. The current RCMP building on Airport Road will continue to serve members of the public as usual.
In fact, media were only allowed to take external pictures and no audio or video could be taken during the inside walkabout tour. The offices remain empty as the move has not been completed. That is expected to be done by Spring 2023.
There is a large storage area in behind the building for large court exhibit items including vehicles and other major items would have to be forklifted into a secure area.
“The expansion to this new building is a reflection of the strong and effective partnership shared between the City of Chilliwack and local RCMP. This modern facility will enable our officers and civilian staff to enhance the delivery of high-quality policing service to the community we serve,” stated Superintendent Davy Lee, Officer in Charge of the Upper Fraser Valley Regional RCMP.
The Chilliwack RCMP has grown steadily since they first moved into the building on Airport Road in 1982. In 1985, Chilliwack had a population of 42,000, with an average annual growth rate of 1.2%. Today, the population has grown to approximately 100,000. This new building has space to grow into and will serve the RCMP and the community for many years to come. Policing has changed greatly over the years and as such, there are many state of the art technical capabilities integrated into the space.
“The City has had a vision for this building for many years, and we are happy that through careful and strategic planning, we were able to renovate the old Operations Centre to meet the growing needs of the RCMP. Public safety is a priority for Council, and we are pleased to provide this support to the RCMP as our community continues to grow,” said Mayor Popove.
