SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown and SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced Thursday a new police substation near Smith’s Ballpark.

Mendenhall said everyone in the ballpark area, whether it is visitors attending a Salt Lake Bees game or those living there, deserves to feel safe. She said this is why the substation is opening.

“It’s a public-safety hub for our neighborhood, where officers can work [and] where they can have a closer finger on the pulse of what’s happening in this community,” Mendenhall said in a press conference. “[It’s] a way to make a closer day-to-day connection with the community.”

Hopes are new police substation will lower crime

Brown hopes that the substation will help reduce crime in the area. He said it will “certainly” improve the Police Department’s response time.

“If there’s a call that comes out at 1700 South State, these officers are already right here at 1300 South West Temple,” he said at a press conference. “[They] can respond much quicker.”

SLCPD’s response time is something that has been improving over time, according to a press release. which said that in July 2022, the average response time for priority 1-3 calls for service was 38 minutes 33 seconds. This is an improvement of 11 minutes 21 seconds from July 2021.

Use of the new police substation

According to the press release, the ballpark substation will not be a functional police station. Rather, it will be primarily used for the department’s Liberty Bike Squad, a proactive squad focused on reducing street crimes and building relationships with community members.

The substation will house important equipment for the Bike Squad and SLCPD as a whole.

An opening date for the substation has yet to be determined.

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