The City of Hillsboro Police Department is announcing today plans to design and construct a new policing headquarters by 2026. The project will be delivered by the City’s Public Works Department.

The future headquarters will be located near the Hillsboro Airport and NE Evergreen Road — at the intersection of NE 25th Avenue & NE Beacon Court — on City-owned property.

“This has been a City Council priority for many years,” said City Manager Robby Hammond. "The City has been looking for several years to identify a location to build a new headquarters and consolidate our precincts. This is an ideal location and it’s large enough to truly support our Police Department employees in serving our community.”

Design of the new headquarters will take place in 2022 & 2023, followed by construction from 2023 to 2025, with an expectation that the facility will be operational by 2026.

“Being a law enforcement professional can be challenging. This facility will contribute to employee wellness — both physically and mentally — and will help us retain our talented employees and attract new employees to serve Hillsboro in the future,” said Hillsboro Police Chief Jim Coleman.

An Opportunity to Reimagine 10th Avenue

The timing of the announcement directly supports the ongoing 10th Avenue visioning process, which will define the future of one of the existing HPD locations on 10th Avenue. Community members living and working nearby are helping to create a vision to shape the area’s future.

The input from residents and businesses will help to maximize the impact and value of the property that currently holds the former grocery store — between Baseline and Washington streets — currently used by the Police Department.

Enhancing Community Policing Capabilities

The sites that the Police Department currently occupies have operational challenges. Neither of them were built to serve the community as a police station.

• The 10th Avenue Main Police Station is a former grocery store that has been reused as a police station for about two decades.
• The Tanasbourne east precinct is located in a commercial park off of Cornell Avenue. The building is leased, not owned, which currently requires the City to make annual rent payments.

To support the Police Department’s mission to ensure excellence in public service and responsiveness in customer service, the future headquarters will be designed and constructed to enhance the department’s ongoing community policing approach.

• The headquarters will provide on-site community meeting rooms that are capable of hosting educational programs, trainings, and other gatherings. It will serve as one of the meetings sites for the Hillsboro Police Community Advisory Group and the Hillsboro Community Academy.
• The new location will also offer better infrastructure and parking to support police operations and provide a more inviting space for connections with community members.

Supporting Police Department Employees

Unlike the former grocery store, the new Hillsboro Police Department headquarters will be built to modern standards to support Police employees in their work serving the community 24/7, and in their physical and mental wellbeing.

The new facility will help to attract and retain high-quality employees who deliver high quality services. The headquarters will support this by reducing stress, improving mental health, and helping employees to meet their responsibilities to the community and to each other.

“Supporting and investing in the wellbeing of our Police employees is an important part of public safety. It’s also an important way that we support and invest in the wellbeing of our community,” said Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway.

Prioritizing Emergency Response Capabilities

Seismic resiliency is a key consideration throughout Oregon. First responders need to be able to respond during an emergency event, such as an earthquake.

Ensuring a seismically resilient and safe police station will help the Police Department serve the community during and after an emergency. The new headquarters will serve as an Emergency Operations Center in the future in the event of a natural or manmade disaster. In addition, the headquarters’ close proximity to a Hillsboro Fire & Rescue station and the Hillsboro Public Works Department headquarters will foster greater collaboration and operational efficiencies.

Planning for the Community’s Future

Meeting the community’s needs for decades to come requires a facility capable of supporting the needs of the Police Department and its employees. The current police sites are at maximum capacity and are unable to keep pace with the community’s growth.

Hillsboro’s continuing growth requires public safety infrastructure that support the City’s overall development goals. The Hillsboro Police Department’s service capabilities are a factor for maintaining quality of life and fostering continued employment growth.

The new headquarters will offer improved functionality, including records maintenance, evidence handling, crime lab capabilities, and enhanced spaces for community conversations and staffing.

Continuing to Serve the Community

Hillsboro Police Department officers will continue to serve the community and ensure a smooth transition to the new facility when it is operational in 2026. Most officers spend their day working in the community and will not be interrupted by the physical location of the future headquarters.

The City will continue to look at creating smaller satellite locations elsewhere within the community. These satellite locations will allow HPD employees to connect with community members, host conversations, or take reports.

Meeting a Hillsboro City Council Priority

After years of discussion about consolidating multiple precincts into a strategic main location, the Hillsboro City Council prioritized the construction of a new police headquarters in 2016 and again in 2017. In the years since, the City began setting aside capital funding to gradually save money to contribute to the project. Once operational, the new headquarters will allow the City to avoid annual rent payments for the Tanasbourne facility and maintenance costs for the former grocery store.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a need for a new HPD headquarters?

Both current precincts are limited in that neither was originally constructed for public safety and are consistently being modified to accommodate both growth and technical advancements. They both lack the disaster resiliency that is needed to ensure a safe base of operations during the police response to a disaster event.

Where exactly will the new HPD headquarters be located?

The future headquarters will be located near the Hillsboro Airport and NE Evergreen Road — at the intersection of NE 25th Avenue & NE Beacon Court — on City-owned property.

Why has this location been chosen?

Evergreen Parkway offers an unmatched east/west traffic connection that will help in reducing the current congestion that HPD-related traffic can contribute to along 10th Avenue. The new headquarters has the potential to assist with quicker Patrol responses when officers are coming from the new headquarters location. The current buildings are not readily identified as police facilities and are not capable of growing to meet the department's current and future needs. In addition, seismic resiliency is a concern that will be addressed at the new headquarters.

When is work starting on the new HPD headquarters?

We are currently in a design and planning phase. Construction is expected to take place in 2023 through 2025.

When will the new HPD headquarters open?

The facility is expected to be operational by 2026.

What will happen to the current HPD location on 10th Avenue?

The ongoing 10th Avenue visioning process will define the future of the existing HPD location on 10th Avenue. Community members living and working nearby are helping to create a vision to shape the area’s future. The input from residents and businesses will help to maximize the impact and value of the property that holds the former grocery store currently being used by HPD.

How does this meet community needs?

Meeting the community’s needs for decades to come requires a facility capable of supporting the needs of the Police Department and its employees. The current police sites are at maximum capacity and are unable to keep pace with the community’s growth. Hillsboro’s continuing growth requires public safety infrastructure that support the City’s overall development goals. The Hillsboro Police Department’s service capabilities are a factor for maintaining quality of life and fostering continued employment growth. The new headquarters will offer improved functionality, including records maintenance, evidence handling, crime lab capabilities, and enhanced spaces for community conversations and staffing.

Why is this happening now?

This project has been discussed for approximately a decade and was identified as a City Council priority in 2016 & 2017. The City has spent several years working to identify a location to build a new headquarters and consolidate precincts.

How is this project being funded?

The City began setting aside capital funding to gradually save money to contribute to the project many years ago, and additional funding sources are being identified to cover future costs.

Will this project help save money in the long run?

Once operational, the new headquarters will allow the City to avoid annual rent payments for the Tanasbourne facility and maintenance costs for the former grocery store, saving the city thousands each year. These future cost savings will help the City in covering the eventual costs associated with the new facility.

Will access to neighboring properties be impacted?

No. At this time no access to surrounding properties is expected to be impacted.  If at any point, access is expected to be limited the city will communicate to property owners accordingly.

Will this transition change the police presence in the area?

The existing policing facilities will remain fully functional throughout the project providing uninterrupted service throughout the transition to the new the new facility. In addition, HPD staff will be exploring the potential for smaller satellite locations in the community to meet in-person policing needs.