Grand Opening Planned For New Portsmouth Police Station

PORTSMOUTH, RI — After years of planning and construction, Portsmouth's new police station is ready to be unveiled to the public. A grand opening celebration is planned for Friday, May 31, with officers conducting tours of the new facility. The department officially moved into the new facility in March.

The grand opening ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. on May 31, beginning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.. Members of the public, local media and local officials are invited to attend. The celebration will last until 12 p.m. During that time, officers will conduct tours and refreshments will be served.

The department moved into the new building on March 12, with daily operations starting the following day. Since that time, finishing touches on construction have been ongoing, with community meeting rooms set to open to the public after the grand opening.

Construction began in 2017 with an official groundbreaking ceremony. The new facility is a vast improvement from the old station, which was old, cramped and insufficient to meet the needs of the department. A feasibility study conducted by Drummey Rosane Anderson in 2015 found that the old station was nearly one-fifth of the square footage needed to accommodate a department of Portsmouth's size. Photos included in the presentation showed the previous facility's cramped storage, cells and offices, as well as architectural renderings of the new building.

Videos posted by the department show the demolition of the old station on April 10.

"Bittersweet day seeing this building coming down!" the department wrote.