Police substation temporarily closed
Marisa O’Neil
The year’s rains have left the Costa Mesa Police Department’s
Westside substation a soggy mess, forcing police volunteers to move
out while renovations are being made.
For now, the operations that would normally take place at the 18th
Street facility are going on at the main station at 99 Fair Drive,
Sgt. Marty Carver said. Those services include electronic
fingerprinting for jobs that require background checks. The workers
have moved too.
Because the substation is staffed only by volunteers, patrol
operations will not be affected, Carver said. Anyone in need of
police assistance should continue to call the department or 911 or
come in to the main station’s front desk.
Substation operations will continue at the main station and will
return to the 18th Street facility once renovations are over, Lt. Les
Gogerty said.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter that also used the substation
has temporarily vacated the building. And the police department’s
citizens police academy, which normally holds classes at the
substation, will continue at the Fair Drive location, Carver said.
The department took over the substation in the 1980s to
concentrate its efforts on the city’s Westside, which was
experiencing an upsurge in crime.
It serves as an “information hub,” where residents and visitors
can get general information about the city and the department, Carver
said.
This winter, the leaky roof led to damp walls and soaked carpets,
he said.
“Sometimes there were more buckets than floor in there,” he said.
All will be fixed and the bathrooms renovated during its closure,
he said.
The substation is expected to remain closed for about four months.
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