A police presence will be reestablished in downtown Christiansted Friday when a substation in Sunday Market Square is dedicated by the governor.
At 10 a.m. Gov. Charles Turnbull will open the new station, which was made possible by St. Croix’s business community. The St. Croix Community Foundation donated the 400-square-foot space at 35 King St. on Times Square, also known as Sunday Market Square, in August. The $15,000 in renovations and equipment were provided by the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association, businesses and individuals.
The police department has been without a station in Christiansted since early August after its lease extension at the U.S. Post Office building expired. The Postal Service is turning the building over to the National Park Service so it can be made into a museum.
"We felt it was incumbent upon us as a community organization to address this need," said Stephanie Hodge, associate executive director of the Foundation.
Since the closure of the Anselmo Marshall Command in downtown Christiansted, the police department has been deploying officers out of the Patrick Sweeney Headquarters in Golden Grove, several miles away from downtown, said Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis.
"We will be able to better service the community in that location" with better response time, Francis said.