Northwest police site reopened to applause

Councilman happy with substation reopening

Officer James Mawer works the front desk at the newly reopened Toledo Police Department’s Northwest District Substation. City leaders applauded the reopening Monday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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Mayor D. Michael Collins, left, and Councilman Tom Waniewski cut the tape to reopen the Toledo Police Department's Northwest District Substation.

Officer James Mawer works the front desk at the newly reopened Toledo Police Department’s Northwest District Substation. City leaders applauded the reopening Monday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Only minutes after a Monday morning ribbon-cutting to show off the remodeled and reopened Toledo police Northwest District Substation, Norb Boeke needed an officer to take a look at damage to the back of his car and to take a police report.

PHOTO GALLERY: TPD Northwest District Substation reopens

Officer James Mawer, working the station’s front desk, was on the case.

“This is not just good for the neighborhood, it’s good for the entire city,” said Councilman Tom Waniewski, whose district includes the Northwest Substation.

Now that the substation at 2330 W. Sylvania Ave. is open again, officers can take reports for anyone who needs them, traffic or otherwise, while investigators from the traffic, sex crimes, and domestic violence units can work their cases with more privacy for victims in sensitive cases. The department’s K-9 units also have a home there.

Mayor D. Michael Collins said the steady police presence in the West Toledo neighborhood is “going to turn this area back.”

During his campaign against Mike Bell, then-councilman Collins promised that if elected, he would reopen the substation within the first 100 days of his term. Officially opening the station on Monday meant the mayor beat that April 12 deadline by more than two weeks.

Gutting and remodeling the building cost an estimated $130,000. The mayor reported no major surprises, although there was a termite problem that was addressed.

Mr. Waniewski said he had “mixed feelings” about reopening the substation, primarily because of the city’s tight budget, but said he supports “basic services” like police and considers the substation to be part of the basic services.

The newly reopened Northwest District Substation houses the department’s sex-crime, domestic-violence, traffic, and K-9 units.

he Bell administration closed the substation in July, 2012, as a budget cut.

Officers newly assigned to Northwest moved in last week for a “trial run,” the mayor said.

An officer will man the front desk seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., police said. Hours could expand once the current police academy class graduates and the rookie officers complete their field training, the mayor said.

“This is just the beginning,” the mayor said.

Mayor Collins wants the station to create momentum in the area to attract additional development and stabilize home values.

“That neighborhood is still a great neighborhood,” Mr. Waniewski said. “We have to do things to protect the loss of its greatness. … It costs less to retain a customer than it does to bring one back.”

Contact Taylor Dungjen at tdungjen@theblade.com, or 419-724-6054, or on Twitter @taylordungjen.