Taylor said he grew accustomed to the 7,000 square foot structure, which experienced a roof collapse in 2004. Now, he’s enjoying a new 18,000-square foot police station on SE 29. The department moved into the facility in April.
Once in the new building, funded by a $4 million sales tax increase approved by voters in 2007, Taylor said his visits to the old station finally made him view the building for what it really was.
Now some two months later, the city will celebrate the new police station with an open house scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. today with a 1 p.m. ribbon cutting. The station is located at 4517 SE 29th Street.

New station for future
Taylor has led the Del City Police Department for the past 38 years as chief in the old station. When the city started discussing plans for a new station, he knew from experience that he wanted one thing: segregation between the general public and inmates.
He said whenever the public visited the station, their safety was not what it should have been.
“Citizens should not have to be in that kind of atmosphere,” Taylor said. “The security in general for the new building has improved.”
A larger jail will house 10 people instead of four, a conference room is included and more storage also is part of the new station.
Taylor said the officers and staff are settling into their new home, which he called spacious and accommodating. He also said the station will go a long way in the future for the recruitment and retention of officers and other law enforcement personnel.
In the coming months, Taylor said the city has plans to demolish the old police station and possibly an old water tower. However, phones in the jail cells will be removed and transferred to the new jail before the demolition occurs.
The chief said the communication devices are an important safety feature for jail workers because it allows prisoners to make phone calls from inside the cells.