The City of Fresno is one step closer to a new police headquarters after councilmembers voted in support on Thursday. Photo KFSN
FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — The City of Fresno is one step closer to a new police headquarters after councilmembers voted in support on Thursday.
“The consent calendar passes 7-0,” Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi said.
The new facility is merely 150 feet from the current headquarters, which was built in 1959. City officials say it is aging with limited space to serve the community.
“With the family members of victims of these horrendous crimes, we don’t have anywhere of privacy to deliver the worst news to these people that they’re going to ever hear,” an officer told councilmembers.
“We wipe down our desks every day, and there’s black dust from asbestos,” another officer said as she raised already known concerns about asbestos.
The city will lease the new building for 21 years, spending nearly $30 million before buying it for a dollar.
Documents reveal it will feature several improvements spread across three floors and a basement, totaling 65,000 square feet.
Chief Mindy Casto confirms that some employees based at other locations could move downtown.
“We would consolidate maybe 100 more people into headquarters,” she said.
The proposal prompted questions from Council Vice President Miguel Arias, who asked about the cost and the timing, just weeks after the city broke ground on a new dispatch center.
“We’re complaining about things that are certainly red flags for problems that could be an emergency in the future, and so that’s what we’re trying to resolve today before it becomes a major problem,” Chief Casto said during an interview with Action News.
Vice President Arias Arias eventually voted to approve the new headquarters.
It is expected to open in late summer or early fall 2026.
