Upper Arlington police to relocate portion of operations to Mallway during MSC renovation
The Upper Arlington Police Division will relocate a portion of its operations to the Mallway during the remodeling of the Municipal Services Center.
The UAPD's command staff, detectives, civilian administrative professional, records custodian and crime-analyst officer will move from UAPD headquarters at 3600 Tremont Road, to the former Upper Arlington Schools District Office, 1950 N. Mallway Drive.
The UAPD headquarters at the MSC will undergo renovations to update the functionality and security of the space the police force has called home since the MSC was built in 1972.
"We don’t have an exact date on the move down to Mallway," Lt. Jason Messer said. "Probably around the first of April. The move back is hoped for by January 2023."
The work is part of an approximately $2.5 million project to renovate police headquarters and the City Attorney's Office.
City Attorney Darren Shulman said his department will relocated within the MSC during the renovations.
Messer said the patrol sergeants will remain at the MSC headquarters during the project. The division's desk officer – an officer who handles in-person police reports and other inquires – will remain at the MSC during morning and afternoon shifts.
The UAPD has not had a full-time overnight desk officer since 2020, Messer said. He added that if an officer is needed to take an in-person report, on-duty patrol officers fill the role.
"Patrol operations will be temporarily housed in the (MSC) basement, but that is PD-access only," Messer said. "The desk/booking officer will be housed in the existing jail area.
"We will still be able to meet with 'walk-in' reporting parties in a conference room at the MSC, although that will be less than ideal. We ask that anyone who needs an officer contact our dispatchers at 614-459-2800 to determine the best means for us to assist and where."
Additionally, Messer said, the UAPD's Support Services Bureau, which includes officer training personnel, as well as DARE and school-resource officers, will be working out of Upper Arlington Fire Station 72, 3861 Reed Road, where the division has training space.
The relocation of a portion of the UAPD's personnel to the Mallway site is possible because the UA Schools District Office moved to the new Upper Arlington High School, 1625 Zollinger Road, when it opened last fall.
The Upper Arlington School Board unanimously approved a lease agreement with the city Feb. 8, whereby the city will lease the 9,000-square-foot facility for $1,000 a month, from Feb. 9 to Jan. 31, 2023.
"It's actually a savings to the taxpayers since we have that extra space where (the city is) going to do it for almost no cost to them – very little cost for them – and it helps us out, as we have an entity in that building right now as we continue to work through how we're going to use it in the future," said Andrew Geistfeld, UA Schools treasurer.
Sgt. Bryan McKean said the relocation will ensure the division can "maintain service to the citizens remain at the highest level" during the renovation.
"It is the goal of the division to limit the impact of this renovation on the public," McKean said. "The division will continue to service the public in the same manner, with a few exceptions.
"Once the renovations are complete, the division will have a space (at the MSC) that is professional, up-to-date and better suited to the operational needs of the division."
nellis@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekNate
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Upper Arlington Police Division to relocate portion of operations to Mallway during MSC renovation
