Plans are officially on the table to move the 2nd Police District into its own station on Castor Avenue near Cottman Avenue.
Mayor Jim Kenney mentioned the project in his budget address, and Councilmembers Brian O’Neill and Bobby Henon confirmed the anticipated move.
The 2nd District will be going into the former TruMark Financial Credit Union, at 7306 Castor Ave. (near Elgin Avenue). As of Feb. 25, TruMark moved to 2117 Cottman Ave., in the Cottman-Bustleton Shopping Center.
Currently, the 2nd District is housed alongside the 15th District and Northeast Detectives in a cramped and aging building at Harbison Avenue and Levick Street.
“By the end of the year, I believe there’s a good chance the 2nd (District) will be in the new facility,” O’Neill told the Northeast Times. “It’s been identified. We’ve authorized purchase.”
Talk of moving the station into the actual boundaries of the 2nd District has been circulating around for years.
“It’s been a little longer than anybody was hoping,” O’Neill added.
The Police Department’s Public Affairs Division did not respond to a request for comment on the new facility.
Property records indicate the city acquired the property at the corner of Castor and Elgin avenues in August 2018. O’Neill said the deal included a lease agreement with TruMark so the bank could stay open as it prepared its new location.
O’Neill said he believes the city will go out to bid shortly on a contract to remodel the building.
Officials also said the 15th District will be getting a significant renovation once the 2nd District completes its move to Castor Avenue.
“The 15th Police District is finally going to get an overhaul,” Henon said. “I’ve been championing that since day one, and we’re finally there. It’s going to have a complete new renovation. It’s going to have all innovative technology and tools.”
Henon said the work will include improvements to the inside and outside of the station. ••
Jack Tomczuk can be reached at [email protected]
