(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) is set to break ground on a new substation in unincorporated El Paso County later this spring.
According to the Sheriff, the facility will play a key role in reducing crime and strengthening efforts to hold offenders accountable. For people who live nearby, the biggest benefit is expected to be faster response times.
I am excited to see this important public safety project come to fruition. This substation will be a vital part of our mission as my deputies work to hold criminals accountable and reduce the number of victims in our community. Growth in the Pikes Peak region has been extensive, and this project will enhance our delivery of public safety services and help meet the elevated demands resulting from a 35% increase in population over the past two decades. This new substation will allow a more expanded presence of law enforcement on our roads and in our neighborhoods, ensuring the safety and well-being of families and businesses throughout northern and eastern El Paso County.”
El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal
While the site may look like just an open field, if you look closer, you’ll see a few markers signaling the beginning of the new substation.
While in the area, FOX21 News spoke with a community member who has lived in Falcon for the past nine years. Although she asked us not to identify her, she said it takes first responders in some cases, more than 30 minutes to arrive at an emergency in her neighborhood.
“If you call 911, sometimes you are routed through the city, and then that takes additional time to be routed to the actual sheriff’s dispatch because once they find out you’re in unincorporated El Paso County, they have to transfer the call because you’re not within city limits,” the community member explained. “So I feel like that increases the response time.”
The new substation is funded through the Sheriff’s Office’s existing budget, with most of the funding coming from the public safety sales tax. Local leaders said the process was streamlined because the Falcon Fire Protection District Station 1 is letting them use the land.
“Not that I’ve ever felt unsafe living out here, which is why we moved out here, but I do feel like some additional presence would be helpful,” the community member said.
The new substation will be located in El Paso County Commissioner Carrie Geitner’s district, who hopes the new substation will not only serve and protect current community members, but also attract new people to the area.
“It’s going to provide that presence in the community to make sure that we’re not just responding after the fact, if we have a public safety concern or criminal intent that’s happening in the community, but that presence is going to be there first and foremost as a deterrent as well,” Commissioner Geitner said.
Commissioner Geitner acknowledges the growth of her district, with the Sheriff’s Office saying the population has increased by 35% over the past two decades.
“I’m very proud of the fact that this is a place that families are supported and have great opportunities, and so we’re seeing people who want to move here, and that just obviously means that we need to provide services and keep up with that,” Commissioner Geitner said.
The EPSO is currently collecting data on response times and types of crimes they address in this area. They plan to present the information to the public at the groundbreaking ceremony later this spring.
