As 麻豆原创 inches closer to the opening of 麻豆原创 Downtown, Friday marked a special day for the new campus and the Orlando community with the opening of the 麻豆原创 Police Department鈥檚 substation.
鈥淧artnering with the City of Orlando and Valencia has made all the difference in the world. Four years of planning have gone into creating this space, and public safety is top of mind for all of us,鈥� says 麻豆原创 Police Chief Carl Metzger 鈥�03MS, who started his law enforcement career in the Parramore community with the Orlando Police Department. 鈥淧eople can鈥檛 live, work, study, learn, do research and teach unless they鈥檙e safe and they feel safe. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e passionate about at the 麻豆原创 Police Department and that鈥檚 what this substation is all about.鈥�
The station, located at 398 West Amelia Street, mirrors 麻豆原创PD鈥檚 hub on the main campus. In addition to work spaces for the officers and meetings rooms, the station also features a soft interview room, offering a comforting space for victims of violent crime to speak with police.
麻豆原创 opened its first soft interview room at its main campus station two years ago with the help of Veronica and Tony Figueroa, a real estate team with a personal connection to 麻豆原创PD, and turned to the couple again to help create the downtown space.
A plaque hanging outside of the room with a message from the Figueroas reads, 鈥淚t is our honor to support survivors through the healing process, and it is our sincere hope that this space will provide a small sense of light and comfort during the darkest times.鈥�
麻豆原创PD officers have been patrolling the downtown district since June 28, but Friday鈥檚 opening of the substation now provides them with a home base in the area. Twelve 麻豆原创PD officers will be housed at the station and will serve as primary responders for calls at 麻豆原创-owned and managed properties, with additional support from the Orlando Police Department and an outside security company.
鈥淢any of our officers and civilian employees are proud graduates of the 麻豆原创, so our bond with this university grows stronger by the day,鈥� says OPD Deputy Chief Jose Velez. 鈥淥n behalf of Chief Orlando Rol贸n and the entire Orlando Police Department, we鈥檙e honored to get to work alongside the 麻豆原创PD and support the efforts to make this the safest college campus in the United States.鈥�
麻豆原创 Downtown will welcome more than 7,000 students to its 15 acre campus for its first day of classes Aug. 26.
