By Michael Moore Jr.
The Bradenton Herald
BRADENTON, Fla. — Bradenton has begun construction of a new police headquarters with state-of-the-art amenities and ample room for the law enforcement agency.
Police officials say the department has outgrown its current downtown headquarters, which opened in 1998 and shares a space with Bradenton City Hall, 101 12th St. W., Bradenton. According to the city, construction on a new facility began in March with a 61,105-square-foot parking garage, and work on the 50,399-square-foot main building is expected to begin in June.
The new headquarters will be located at 705 Third St. W. , Bradenton , and is expected to open in late 2026.
According to the Bradenton Police Department, the new headquarters will provide updated space for the patrol division, patrol support, administrative services, records and property and evidence, as well as a Real Time Crime Center. It will also include expanded evidence storage, a modern crime lab and rooms for training, public meetings and press conferences.
Bradenton police break ground on new headquarters
The city held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project on May 20 .
“The groundbreaking of the new headquarters of the Bradenton Police Department illustrates the city’s commitment to invest in public safety and provide the highest level of protection to our citizens,” Police Chief Melanie Bevan said in a statement.
“The state-of-the-art headquarters is designed to address the evolving needs of modern policing and provide future law enforcement officers with the resources they need to serve and protect our citizens effectively. More than anything, the new headquarters will provide the community with better access to their police department, supporting the community policing model we have long embraced,” Bevan said.
Police say the current headquarters was built primarily for office work, such as administrative staff and detectives, and does not meet the agency’s current needs.
According to the department, some officers work in improvised spaces and evidence is stored in secured rooms throughout the building that were not originally designed for storage. Officials say the current facility also lacks a functional women’s locker room and cannot support the department’s Real Time Crime Center or high-tech investigations.
New building better equipped for hurricanes, police say
The building, which sits across the street from the Manatee River , has also faced storm-related challenges in the current space, according to police.
Police said the headquarters sustained roof damage during Hurricane Ian. During Hurricane Helene, storm surge crossed First Avenue and reached the grassy area behind the building. Ahead of Hurricane Milton, the department evacuated more than 47,000 pieces of evidence, along with weapons, ammunition, and sensitive computer equipment.
According to police, a group of administrative staff and officers from the SWAT and Crime Reduction teams operated out of the Bishop Museum during Milton, where they monitored surveillance feeds using a temporary Real Time Crime Center.
City officials say the new headquarters is a long-planned investment in public safety and modern infrastructure.
“This project has been years in the making, and we’re thrilled to take this important step forward,” Mayor Gene Brown said in a statement. “The new headquarters reflects our City’s continued commitment to safety, innovation and providing our police department with the resources they need to best serve our residents.”
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