After 15 years of serving Oxford Township, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office finally has a substation that was specifically designed and built to accommodate its needs.
The days of deputies sharing space with real estate offices and storage facilities are over.
Last week, sheriff’s personnel moved out of the Express Mini Storage facility, where they had been housed since 2001, and into their new home inside the lower level of the township hall, just north of Seymour Lake Rd. The new address is 310 Dunlap Rd.
‘The old substation is completely shut down,? said Substation Commander Lt. Scott Patterson. ‘We posted a sign there with our new address.?
Patterson is quite pleased with the new facility.
‘Based on the feedback we’re getting from the public, the staff, people that work in different substations, this is probably one of the best, if not the best, substations within the whole county,? he said. ‘It’s probably exceeded my expectations. Everybody’s really, really pleased with the project.?
Undersheriff Mike McCabe agreed.
‘It’s phenomenal,? he said. ‘We’re thrilled to death. We’ve gone from a very stark facility to a first-class facility. It turned out exactly the way we wanted it to. It’s a morale booster for the deputies.?
The new substation contains approximately 3,800 square feet of usable space, which is about double the old location.
McCabe said this facility isn’t just some converted space, it was ‘designed as a police station,? so ‘it’s a much more efficient use of space.?
‘It’s also energy efficient and is going to save the taxpayers money in the long run,? he noted. ‘It’s a pretty unique design.?
‘It’s going to be a lot more user-friendly for the public and for the officers,? said Patterson, who worked side-by-side with township Supervisor Bill Dunn to design a substation that would meet both current and future needs.
Although the substation is currently staffed by 15 officers, it has enough locker room space to accommodate 30 officers ? 22 males and eight females.
This was done so substation staffing can grow as the township’s population grows over the next 20 to 30 years.
‘We wanted to be fiscally responsible,? Patterson explained. ‘We didn’t want to build something now, then outgrow it in a few years and have to spend additional monies like other areas have. We planned for future growth.?
The substation was part of a $1.1 million project at the township hall that included construction of a 4,700-square-foot addition, half of which is a meeting room capable of accommodating 100 audience members.
McCabe said Dunn and the township board were ‘nothing but supportive? regarding the substation project.
‘They realized many years ago that this was needed,? he said.
Being housed inside the township hall should make it much easier for citizens to locate the substation when they need to, according to Patterson.
‘People had trouble finding us before because they didn’t expect us to be in a storage unit facility,? he said.
Patterson noted the new substation is more ‘centrally located? in terms of Oxford’s population centers.
‘We’re a lot closer to home for many people,? he said.
Being inside the township hall also makes it more convenient for residents who need to stop at the substation to speak with an officer or pick up a copy of a report, but also have other government-related business to take care of such as paying property taxes, obtaining dog licenses and applying for building permits.
‘They can do it all in one location,? Patterson said.
The substation’s phone number remains the same. It’s still (248) 969-3077.