CHULA VISTA (KGTV) — The Chula Vista City Council took a major step Tuesday night toward adding an east side police substation.
In a unanimous 5-0 vote, leaders approved spending more than $393,000 on a study to determine whether a second police facility is needed.
City leaders say Chula Vista's population could jump from about 281,000 to 350,000, driven by large projects like the Bayfront, Millenia, Otay Ranch, and a future university. Currently, the city's only police headquarters is on the west side.
Councilmember Michael Inzunza said that with about 300,000 residents, it does not make sense that Chula Vista has only one police station.
"The number one concern they brought is, why don't we have a police station in CV? We have one police station that is about 25 minutes away from Eastlake, Otay Ranch, and Winey Walk," Inzunza said.
"The city of SD alone has nine police stations," Inzunza said.
Many residents on the east side say the distance to the west side headquarters can feel like a problem, whether there is a major incident requiring a large police presence or even simple civil matters. Mayor McCann noted these challenges include issues like filing police reports.
To test the distance, I drove from Otay Ranch to headquarters to see how long it takes. It took me __ minutes.
Interim Chief Dan Peak said the department is feeling growing demands, including issues ranging from call volume to evidence storage.
The Chula Vista Police Department must remain neutral on the potential new station. However, officers already patrol the eastern sector rather than responding from headquarters, with goals of six minutes or less for priority one calls.
The newly approved study will examine current operations, response times, staffing, and whether the current headquarters has sufficient space to meet demand. It will also determine where an east side substation could be located.
The study will be conducted by Carrier Johnson + Culture and is expected to be completed by this November.
