OCEAN CITY, Md. -- On Tuesday morning, the Ocean City Police Department unveiled its new substation in the heart of downtown. The three-story building stands at the corner of Somerset Street and Baltimore Avenue.
In a ribbon cutting truly fitting for law enforcement, the Town of Ocean City and its police department ushered in a new era through the clever use of bright-yellow crime scene tape.
"This is truly a partnership and vision to have this building here today, and honestly, I could probably recognize just about everybody here for their contributions or their role in making this a reality," said Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, speaking to a crowd of a few dozen people.
In a few months, the OCPD will be able to call a modernized, multi-level building home.
In the fall and summer, the top floor will house Public Safety Officers.
The second floor will be a workspace, and the first floor, unlike the previous boardwalk substation, will be outfitted with an interview room and will be open to the public.
"It'll be manned down here so that, you know, if somebody had to walk in, in the downtown area, that, you know, you would have a police officer right there at hand," said Raymond Austin, Ocean City's Chief of Police.
Austin anticipates the building will be an asset for the community and his officers.
"This new substation represents more than just bricks and mortar," said Austin. "It symbolizes our ongoing commitment to providing responsive, community-focused policing for everyone who lives in, works in and visits Ocean City."
Plus, in the event of a July 4th weekend repeat, a heftier police force in one of Ocean City's busiest areas could be useful.
"With some of the heavier traffic that we experience during that time, we'll be able to bring our officers into the building, [and]address some of the issues that were occurring," said Austin.
The building still needs to be furnished, and some construction work remains inside. So, the new substation will not officially open until late fall of this year.